Nature’s Light Show

Look at all the fireflies. It’s a light show in the forest! It happens every year at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The fireflies flash their lights in a pattern. First, they all flash at the same time. They flash for about six seconds.

Photo Credit: Nori Yuasa/500px/Getty Images

Then, they all stop. It’s so dark. You can’t see anything! But if you wait a few seconds …

They all flash again. These fireflies are called synchronous fireflies. They are one kind of firefly. There are more than 2,000 kinds of fireflies in the world! 

What Do You Think? Do you see fireflies where you live? How are they different from synchronous fireflies?

Photo Credit: Nori Yuasa/500px/Getty Images