The Firefly Secret - How Tiny Insects Make Light

On summer nights, tiny lights appear in the dark. They come from fireflies. But how do they glow? A firefly is tiny, but its body has a special system that makes light. The light comes from the lower part of the firefly's body, called the abdomen. Inside the firefly, a chemical reaction changes energy into light. Two helpers, luciferin and luciferase, work together to create the glow. Oxygen joins the reaction, helping produce the firefly's soft, yellow-green light. The firefly uses energy from its body to power this tiny light. Firefly light is very efficient. Almost all the energy becomes light, not heat. A firefly can control its flashes, turning its light on and off. Fireflies use their flashes to communicate and find each other in the dark. Many fireflies flashing together can make a meadow sparkle like tiny stars. These tiny insects make light naturally without batteries, bulbs, or switches. Every firefly flash is a tiny chemical reaction lighting up the night. As the night grows quiet, the little lights fade away, leaving the forest dark.