As I turned out the light in my office, a small wink of another light flickered back at me. This firefly is a Maine native. Strangely, these “flies” are actually flying beetles. They use their lighting abilities in summer to attract mates by mixing certain chemicals in their bodies.
Fireflies in some other states have different coloring; some in the western states don’t even glow! There are 2,000 species of fireflies.
I captured by June intruder, captured his/her movements and light show, and returned it to glow again outside.
Additional resources
National Geographic. “Fireflies” http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/group/fireflies/
Breyer, Melissa. “Fireflies! 12 things you didn’t know about lightning bugs.” Mother Earth Network. https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/fireflies-12-things-you-didnt-know-about-lightning-bugs