Not really a fly

June is a good month to look for fireflies. The best time to see them is after the sun goes down. The male firefly will be flying around flashing his light from time to time. The female will usually be sitting on the ground, in the grass or on a weed. She waits for a male to fly close by and flash his light. She will flash back at him if she sees his flash. It is his choice to land beside her if he is feeling romantic.

The female firefly will lay eggs just below the surface of the ground. A few weeks later the eggs hatch and turn into larvae. The larvae stay below ground all through autumn and winter. They climb above ground in spring and are known as glow worms. Eventually, around mid-May or early June, the glow worms become adult fireflies with wings.

Often called lightning bugs, the firefly is not really a fly. It is a kind of soft-wing beetle. If you catch and put fireflies in a jar, be sure to turn them loose before you go to bed.