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Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada
Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs is the first-ever comprehensive firefly guide for eastern and central North America. It is written for all those who want to know more about the amazing world of lightning bugs and learn the secrets hidden in the flash patterns of the 75+ species found in the eastern and central United States and Canada. As an independent researcher working with numerous university teams, naturalist Lynn Frierson Faust, “The Lightning Bug Lady,” has spent decades tracking the behavior and researching the habitats of these fascinating creatures.
Based on her twenty-five years of fieldwork, this book is intended to increase understanding and appreciation of bioluminescent insects while igniting enthusiasm in a fun and informative way. Species accounts are coupled with historical backgrounds and literary epigraphs to engage and draw readers young and old into the world of these tiny sparklers. A chart documenting the flash patterns of the various species will aid in identification.
Clear photos illustrate the insects’ distinguishing physical characteristics, while habitats, seasonality, and common names are provided in easy-to-understand yet scientifically accurate language. The guide will be welcomed by everyone who wants to learn more about fireflies’ and glow-worms’ unique traits and fragile niche in the ecosystem.
Over 600 color photographs
Detailed accounts and anatomical diagrams of 75+ species, as well as aids in distinguishing between similar species
A first-of-its-kind flash-pattern chart that folds out on heavy-weight paper
Extensive scientific details written in an understandable and engaging way
Colorful common names―Twilight Bush Baby, Shadow Ghosts, Snappy Syncs, and more―for easy species identification based on flash patterns
Tips on ideal sites and times of year for firefly watching
Conservation-oriented approach
Based on her twenty-five years of fieldwork, this book is intended to increase understanding and appreciation of bioluminescent insects while igniting enthusiasm in a fun and informative way. Species accounts are coupled with historical backgrounds and literary epigraphs to engage and draw readers young and old into the world of these tiny sparklers. A chart documenting the flash patterns of the various species will aid in identification.
Clear photos illustrate the insects’ distinguishing physical characteristics, while habitats, seasonality, and common names are provided in easy-to-understand yet scientifically accurate language. The guide will be welcomed by everyone who wants to learn more about fireflies’ and glow-worms’ unique traits and fragile niche in the ecosystem.
Over 600 color photographs
Detailed accounts and anatomical diagrams of 75+ species, as well as aids in distinguishing between similar species
A first-of-its-kind flash-pattern chart that folds out on heavy-weight paper
Extensive scientific details written in an understandable and engaging way
Colorful common names―Twilight Bush Baby, Shadow Ghosts, Snappy Syncs, and more―for easy species identification based on flash patterns
Tips on ideal sites and times of year for firefly watching
Conservation-oriented approach
376 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2017
3 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 6, 2017
My thanks to NetGalley and the University of Georgia Press for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
Where to start? This was full-steam-ahead going to be a five star book. Then it made the Hindenburg look like a campfire with some hotdogs and s'mores, at least to me.
Let's start with the OMG AMAZING.
I read an eARC copy of this book on an HD resolution screen. That was SUPER important for the pictures.
Because FIREFLIES HAVE TOES. Not just ANY toes, but some of the MOST ADORABLE TOES known to man. I told this fact to just about anyone who would listen and a friend decided to look it up online. Please be aware, there is a "Firefly Pose" in yoga. That came up a lot. Also, the pictures online weren't HALF as crisp and clear as the pictures in this book.
I also learned that there is not, in fact, only one type of firefly. There are over 2,000 and more are being discovered all of the time. They even have different blinking patterns, and some don't blink as adults, but glow in larva stages. They qualify as fireflies because they glow or blink at one stage of their life cycle. Some females in the adult cycle resemble larva, rather than the typical adult flying insect you may think of when you think of fireflies. Also, some females blink, while some of the males don't!
And yes Virginia, there are predatory "femme fatales" that eat the males, but they don't do it for the food, they do it for the toxic chemicals all fireflies have, so the females can pass more toxins onto their young to protect them. If a human were to eat ten fireflies in a row, the human could very well DIE. Do NOT test that out, I am not responsible if you do. You have been warned.
Now, for where this train went off the rails, because FIREFLY TOES. That's five stars RIGHT THERE.
This book has made me realize that scientists and the scientific method are completely, 100% sociopathic when it comes to what they are studying.
Those "femme fatales" I was talking about earlier? Well, despite KNOWING the MO of these killer ladies, the scientists, this author included, decided to, For Science, put these ladies in a container with hapless males, to see what would happen. Time after time, the ladies killed and ate the "cowering, miserable" males (author's own word in quotes). THEN after they were done with their studies, the females were used in two documentaries on predator/prey relationships. The author stated she was PROUD to be the wrangler for these fireflies. Some pictures of the leftovers of those poor males was included. It was brutal.
HOW can someone who professes to LOVE fireflies blithely gather up killer and victim and pit them against one another to watch over and over and over again the same result that they KNEW was going to happen? She even said the males were cowering and miserable before the ladies took them out. I'm sorry, but that is just sadistic, NOT science. I know I wouldn't like for fear to be my last feeling before I died and I certainly wouldn't want to be ripped apart and eaten to be my death. I guess I'm just too much of a softy for science, but I empathize too much with the poor, terrified males being eaten.
Also, what bothered me is that she would REPEATEDLY go out into the field unprepared for taking home specimens. Example, not enough containers for the samples, so she put them all together, and lo-and-behold, some were predator and some were prey. Guess what happened to the prey?
If you want a certain amount of samples and you know predator and prey can look similar, bring enough containers for the amount of specimens you want for one per container or DON'T TAKE THEM AT ALL.
Another instance, she went to two different sites, 100 miles apart to collect and apparently didn't bring 1) enough containers or 2) a marker, because she didn't mark the containers as to which location the sample came from. Which is a problem if you plan to catch and release in the same location they came from, like she claimed to do. It's ALSO a problem when you catch a super rare firefly and have no idea which location it came from and where to take him back. That is not good science.
So those instances above made me dock this otherwise phenomenal book two stars. I was going to bring it down another star, because the above issues bothered me so much, but this book is a very good field guide. The pictures make me say, get this as an eBook to really get the full effect of the pictures and the field guide part is so good, I want to say, get the real book, so you can flip through it easier when in the field, trying to figure out what lightning bug the ones blinking in front of you are.
Three solid stars for the field guide, the pictures and FIREFLY TOES.
Where to start? This was full-steam-ahead going to be a five star book. Then it made the Hindenburg look like a campfire with some hotdogs and s'mores, at least to me.
Let's start with the OMG AMAZING.
I read an eARC copy of this book on an HD resolution screen. That was SUPER important for the pictures.
Because FIREFLIES HAVE TOES. Not just ANY toes, but some of the MOST ADORABLE TOES known to man. I told this fact to just about anyone who would listen and a friend decided to look it up online. Please be aware, there is a "Firefly Pose" in yoga. That came up a lot. Also, the pictures online weren't HALF as crisp and clear as the pictures in this book.
I also learned that there is not, in fact, only one type of firefly. There are over 2,000 and more are being discovered all of the time. They even have different blinking patterns, and some don't blink as adults, but glow in larva stages. They qualify as fireflies because they glow or blink at one stage of their life cycle. Some females in the adult cycle resemble larva, rather than the typical adult flying insect you may think of when you think of fireflies. Also, some females blink, while some of the males don't!
And yes Virginia, there are predatory "femme fatales" that eat the males, but they don't do it for the food, they do it for the toxic chemicals all fireflies have, so the females can pass more toxins onto their young to protect them. If a human were to eat ten fireflies in a row, the human could very well DIE. Do NOT test that out, I am not responsible if you do. You have been warned.
Now, for where this train went off the rails, because FIREFLY TOES. That's five stars RIGHT THERE.
This book has made me realize that scientists and the scientific method are completely, 100% sociopathic when it comes to what they are studying.
Those "femme fatales" I was talking about earlier? Well, despite KNOWING the MO of these killer ladies, the scientists, this author included, decided to, For Science, put these ladies in a container with hapless males, to see what would happen. Time after time, the ladies killed and ate the "cowering, miserable" males (author's own word in quotes). THEN after they were done with their studies, the females were used in two documentaries on predator/prey relationships. The author stated she was PROUD to be the wrangler for these fireflies. Some pictures of the leftovers of those poor males was included. It was brutal.
HOW can someone who professes to LOVE fireflies blithely gather up killer and victim and pit them against one another to watch over and over and over again the same result that they KNEW was going to happen? She even said the males were cowering and miserable before the ladies took them out. I'm sorry, but that is just sadistic, NOT science. I know I wouldn't like for fear to be my last feeling before I died and I certainly wouldn't want to be ripped apart and eaten to be my death. I guess I'm just too much of a softy for science, but I empathize too much with the poor, terrified males being eaten.
Also, what bothered me is that she would REPEATEDLY go out into the field unprepared for taking home specimens. Example, not enough containers for the samples, so she put them all together, and lo-and-behold, some were predator and some were prey. Guess what happened to the prey?
If you want a certain amount of samples and you know predator and prey can look similar, bring enough containers for the amount of specimens you want for one per container or DON'T TAKE THEM AT ALL.
Another instance, she went to two different sites, 100 miles apart to collect and apparently didn't bring 1) enough containers or 2) a marker, because she didn't mark the containers as to which location the sample came from. Which is a problem if you plan to catch and release in the same location they came from, like she claimed to do. It's ALSO a problem when you catch a super rare firefly and have no idea which location it came from and where to take him back. That is not good science.
So those instances above made me dock this otherwise phenomenal book two stars. I was going to bring it down another star, because the above issues bothered me so much, but this book is a very good field guide. The pictures make me say, get this as an eBook to really get the full effect of the pictures and the field guide part is so good, I want to say, get the real book, so you can flip through it easier when in the field, trying to figure out what lightning bug the ones blinking in front of you are.
Three solid stars for the field guide, the pictures and FIREFLY TOES.
May 7, 2018
I couldn't believe I could get so much attracted by a book left on a library table (by who knows whom) on fireflies and bugs and spent hours on reading and skimming pages.
My first thought: who could be interested in studying bugs, they look ugly and dirty! My second thought after reading a few captivating pages: how could I didn't know about all these fascinating facts and stories about fireflies?
The book is written very clearly and simple. It starts with answering dummies' questions on the subject: what are fireflies? why do they shine? how do they produce light? what are they good for at all? what do they eat? where could they be seen?
Just read a few pages of the book, then you will fall in love with the amazing world of flies!
My first thought: who could be interested in studying bugs, they look ugly and dirty! My second thought after reading a few captivating pages: how could I didn't know about all these fascinating facts and stories about fireflies?
The book is written very clearly and simple. It starts with answering dummies' questions on the subject: what are fireflies? why do they shine? how do they produce light? what are they good for at all? what do they eat? where could they be seen?
Just read a few pages of the book, then you will fall in love with the amazing world of flies!
January 7, 2017
Author Faust describes what genus fireflies belong too, where fireflies are found, their stages of life and environmental conditions. Numerous photographs are used to illustrate differences between species and the natural world where fireflies live. Although many technical and scientific terms are used, the book is written conversationally rather than academically. This book will be valuable to anyone interested in fireflies. Besides acknowledgements, there is an appendix with the Selangor Declaration, photo credits, permissions, glossary, bibliography, online resources, index of common names, and subject index.
August 19, 2018
Wish it had a quick ID chart of all the species together, but excellent source of information. Describes appearances, flash patterns, range and habitat of many different species. I have a new appreciation for lightning bugs!
May 10, 2017
What a fantastic book for the "citizen scientist!" Great photos and text to get you thinking about fireflies in new ways. Beautifully designed book with sturdy covers. If you've got fireflies in your area you should definitely pick this one up. Wish there was more info about fireflies where I live (Colorado) but clearly there aren't many scientists working on this so there is not much information available yet. I expect an updated edition will be released in the future based on the author's many remarks on forthcoming research. Would benefit greatly from some sort of table showing species in each state so you can access the data easier if you're simply looking for local fireflies, however, having read it cover-to-cover I am aware that the ranges are guesses in many cases. Having to navigate to and read the paragraph on range for each species could be made easier by at least having range maps.
July 19, 2020
This is a maddeningly beautiful, wonderful, frustrating book!
On the plus side, it's so lovingly and carefully written! The photos are clear and copious and the author gives you so much information about each species.
But she only covers so many species and, after reading this book cover to cover, I'm still only sure about one species in my yard (the easiest one, the Big Dipper). I get the impression part of the problem is that firefly science just isn't there yet. Species are being split apart, new species are likely still being discovered, and it's just tough to get a handle on something where it's most distinctive feature might be a flash pattern...which could be mimicking another species'.
So, yeah, I suspect this book is the best one out there, and it will get you fired up! But then you'll be left with lots of question marks.
On the plus side, it's so lovingly and carefully written! The photos are clear and copious and the author gives you so much information about each species.
But she only covers so many species and, after reading this book cover to cover, I'm still only sure about one species in my yard (the easiest one, the Big Dipper). I get the impression part of the problem is that firefly science just isn't there yet. Species are being split apart, new species are likely still being discovered, and it's just tough to get a handle on something where it's most distinctive feature might be a flash pattern...which could be mimicking another species'.
So, yeah, I suspect this book is the best one out there, and it will get you fired up! But then you'll be left with lots of question marks.
June 28, 2022
Great descriptions and scientific data breakdown for non-scientist firefly enthusiasts. Contains a great bibliography for further investigations. An outstanding reference tool I hope to utilize for years to come when searching out these beloved creatures.
June 5, 2019
Great book for anyone who loves fireflies
June 1, 2021
Would have loved maps for the ranges, but not sure how well defined some of those are!
March 1, 2017
GNab I received a free electronic copy of this book from Netgalley, Lynn Frierson Faust, and University of Georgia Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all, for sharing your hard work with me.
Photos! Lots of them, clear and distinct, along with detailed descriptions of the various glowing bugs at their various stages. This is an excellent field book for anyone interested in Fireflies, Glow-Worms and Lightning Bugs, and it is written in an understandable way. I would recommend to every kid out there looking for spring, and all us old fogies with warm memories of following the light across the pasture. This is a book you want your grandkids to have access to.
Pub date March 1, 2017
University of Georgia Press
Photos! Lots of them, clear and distinct, along with detailed descriptions of the various glowing bugs at their various stages. This is an excellent field book for anyone interested in Fireflies, Glow-Worms and Lightning Bugs, and it is written in an understandable way. I would recommend to every kid out there looking for spring, and all us old fogies with warm memories of following the light across the pasture. This is a book you want your grandkids to have access to.
Pub date March 1, 2017
University of Georgia Press
March 24, 2017
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 5.0 of 5
This is an absolutely tremendous book.
Author Lynn Frierson Faust clearly has a passion for the subject matter and has done such a fantastic job of researching and cataloging the insects we know as fireflies, glow-worms, and lightning bugs. The largest portion of the book (Chapter 8) is an identification field guide.
I have to admit that most of the fireflies still look the same to me, but I look forward to capturing a couple this coming summer and checking them against the book to see what genus the luminescent insect is. There is a size chart, there is a detailed description of the insect and its habitat, there are unbelievable photos of the insect at various stages of its life, and there is a glow/flash chart detailing the number and type of flashes (and glow color) the specific fly typically displays.
I own a number of different sorts of field guides, from birds to trees to dragonflies to animal scat, and this book really has the most complete tools for identification that I've ever seen.
The portion of the book that is not directly related to identification is equally packed with information regarding these unique insects. My favorite section is the Frequently Asked Questions in which I learned how fireflies flash ... sort of. According to the book (and I'm simplifying) its complex chemistry and the experts are still trying to understand the specifics.
I also learned that the colors of the fireflies are not all the same - though it's possible that this has as much to do with the viewer as it does with the flies themselves. The researcher noted that five people watching the same display saw five slightly different color shades.
One interesting aspect in the FAQ portion was the notation that "Adult fireflies do not need to eat. They are mating machines. They exist only to find a mate and lay as many fertile eggs as possible." But one paragraph later is the notation that the researchers found "at least nine different species of fireflies ... appearing to consume nectar from toxic common milkweed blooms." Perhaps they don't need to eat, but do they consume to make themselves poisonous for protection (like the Monarch butterfly)?
Every summer I sit on my back deck and watch the fireflies in my yard, which is one of the reasons I was so interested in reading this book. I live very much in the Driftless Area mentioned for the "Slow Blues" genus so you can be sure I'll be checking 'my' fireflies this summer to see if they are this particular kind.
This is a remarkable book. I had hoped to give it out as a Christmas present this past year to family members who have a strong interest in nature and identification field guides but it wasn't yet released. I look forward to getting the book as a gift for family members this year.
Looking for a good book? Fireflies, Glow-Worms, and Lightning Bugs by Lynn Frierson Faust is a thorough, well-researched, tremendously illustrated (with photos) guide to one of the few insects that we still enjoy seeing and even often encourage people to catch and hold.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This is an absolutely tremendous book.
Author Lynn Frierson Faust clearly has a passion for the subject matter and has done such a fantastic job of researching and cataloging the insects we know as fireflies, glow-worms, and lightning bugs. The largest portion of the book (Chapter 8) is an identification field guide.
I have to admit that most of the fireflies still look the same to me, but I look forward to capturing a couple this coming summer and checking them against the book to see what genus the luminescent insect is. There is a size chart, there is a detailed description of the insect and its habitat, there are unbelievable photos of the insect at various stages of its life, and there is a glow/flash chart detailing the number and type of flashes (and glow color) the specific fly typically displays.
I own a number of different sorts of field guides, from birds to trees to dragonflies to animal scat, and this book really has the most complete tools for identification that I've ever seen.
The portion of the book that is not directly related to identification is equally packed with information regarding these unique insects. My favorite section is the Frequently Asked Questions in which I learned how fireflies flash ... sort of. According to the book (and I'm simplifying) its complex chemistry and the experts are still trying to understand the specifics.
I also learned that the colors of the fireflies are not all the same - though it's possible that this has as much to do with the viewer as it does with the flies themselves. The researcher noted that five people watching the same display saw five slightly different color shades.
One interesting aspect in the FAQ portion was the notation that "Adult fireflies do not need to eat. They are mating machines. They exist only to find a mate and lay as many fertile eggs as possible." But one paragraph later is the notation that the researchers found "at least nine different species of fireflies ... appearing to consume nectar from toxic common milkweed blooms." Perhaps they don't need to eat, but do they consume to make themselves poisonous for protection (like the Monarch butterfly)?
Every summer I sit on my back deck and watch the fireflies in my yard, which is one of the reasons I was so interested in reading this book. I live very much in the Driftless Area mentioned for the "Slow Blues" genus so you can be sure I'll be checking 'my' fireflies this summer to see if they are this particular kind.
This is a remarkable book. I had hoped to give it out as a Christmas present this past year to family members who have a strong interest in nature and identification field guides but it wasn't yet released. I look forward to getting the book as a gift for family members this year.
Looking for a good book? Fireflies, Glow-Worms, and Lightning Bugs by Lynn Frierson Faust is a thorough, well-researched, tremendously illustrated (with photos) guide to one of the few insects that we still enjoy seeing and even often encourage people to catch and hold.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews