Crowds will gather in two forests in the United States in coming weeks to see light shows created by a rare species of firefly. These fireflies have the ability to light up with others at the same time. The insects stay lit for 10 seconds, go dark for about a minute, then shine bright again. “You’re standing in a dark forest and suddenly there is a brilliance of little lights everywhere,” said Tara Cornelisse. She spoke to the Reuters news agency. Cornelisse is a scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity in Portland, Oregon. Scientists are not sure why some fireflies light up at the exact same time. But they believe that it helps attract reproductive partners during the weeks-long mating season. Three years ago, Cornelisse traveled to the Pennsylvania Firefly Festival in the Allegheny National Forest to see the light show. Cornelisse said of the experience, “It’s like the Milky Way flashes on and then off. You hear people gasp ‘Ohhhh!’” Synchronous fireflies are found only in a handful of places in the United States.
