Lightning bug flashes?

Question

Why does it seem like the closer to a lightning bug you are, the longer it lights up? I live near a lot of woods and i see a lot of very short, fast flashes coming from them. I assume it's lightning bug flashes, but why are their flashes different from the flashes of the ones closer to me? Does this have to do with the distance or are those flashes really faster? And if so, why?

Answer 1

They all flash the same time. It's just that when they are near, the light produce covers a larger angle in front of you and you see it just as it happens and don't have to move your head toward so it seems longer.

Answer 2

a couple people have answered this question fairly well, so I will try to elaborate on what they said.  As mentioned, lightning bugs (Fireflies) are from the beetle family Lampyridae.  They emit flashes through bioluminescent cells on the lower few segments of their abdomen.  The bioluminescent flashing is basically a mating call for these beetles.  They use it to locate each other and mate.  Being an Entomologist, here is what I find fascinating:

The duration, intensity, and pattern of flashes varies among Lampyrid species.  What you may be observing is actually different species of lightning bugs!  One thing to keep in mind is that insects are the most diverse animals on the planet.  What you find on the top and bottom of a leaf may look a lot alike, but they may be completely different species of insects!  The lightning bugs you see near/in the woods may be indigenous to the woods and the ones you see near you may be a totally different species.. hence.. the different flashes.  

As others have mentioned, in some species, only the males and/or females flash.  In my state (Idaho) we have a native Lampyrid that doesnt flash at all!  Kind of contradictory, huh?  However, one more cool fact.... There is a particular species of lampyrid that is a carnivore of other Lampyrids.  The way it hunts its prey is by mimicry.  It sits on plants like the females of other species do, and it mimics their flashes.  By pretending to be a female of that other species, it attracts the males of those other species towards it.  The males fly on over thinking they are going to have a happy ending to the night, and the opposite occurs.  They get eaten!

Answer 3

The lightning bug, as this little insect is popularly called, can control the intensity of the flash by varying the amount of oxygen which is mixed with the luciferase. A chemical called luciferin produces the glow when an enzyme called luciferase is mixed with it. Oxygen is required for this reaction and is supplied by a special opening in the abdomen of the fireflies’ body. The firefly has a very efficient means of producing light because no heat is produced by the light it emits. This effect, light produced without heat, is called luminescence, and if the light is produced by a living organism, such as lightning bugs, plankton at sea, or other creatures or plants, it is called bioluminescence.

But they flash the same,it's a matter of perception

Answer 4

Lightning Bugs are the same as Fireflies. They are members of a particular family of the Beetle Order. The Firefly Family is technically known as the Lampyridae.

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Lightning Bugs are beetles. They can't be "flies" as their name suggests, since "flies" are members of the Fly Order. Glow-worms, which produce light similar to Lightning Bugs', also are beetles, but they belong to a different, though closely related, family, the Phengodidae. There are many Lightning Bug species.

Flashing Lightning Bugs are trying to attract mates. Among most but not all species of North American Lightning Bugs, males fly about flashing while females perch on vegetation, usually near the ground. If the female sees a flasher and she's ready to mate she responds by flashing right after the male's last flash. A short flash dialogue takes place as the male flies closer and closer, and then, if all goes well, they mate.



So that a flasher doesn't attract a firefly of a different species, each Lightning Bug species has its own specific flash pattern. Flash patterns range from continuous glows to single flashes, to series of multi-pulsed flashes.

Among some species both males and females flash, but among others only the members of one s*x do it. Some Lightning Bug species don't flash at all. All known firefly larvae, which are wingless and mostly live on the ground and under bark, produce light. If you see only a glow on the ground, it can be tricky deciding whether you're seeing a firefly larva, a glow-worm, or some other luminescent insect.

Answer 5

I think they all are the same.  You just see them better when they are closer.

Answer 6

Because they are farther away; they are not as visible as the ones closer to you, and do not attract your attention as quickly as when they are close to you.

Answer 7

they also use the light for communication and to mate