I wrote last year about a new Citizen Science program called Firefly Watch. It’s a partnership between the Boston Museum of Science and researchers from Tufts University and Fitchburg State College to track these special summer insects.
They ask volunteers to spend some time outside in the evenings and to report what they see online. Researchers want to learn about the geographic distribution of fireflies and their activity during the summer season.
The museum is holding a Firefly Day this Saturday to kick off the program!
The Firefly Watch website opens in May–so why not sign up now, and get your data sheets ready? They even have a neat virtual habitat that you can practice your ID skills in!
I can tell you first-hand that I had a GREAT time doing this last year–kids and grownups both will have a blast.
Related posts:
8 Comments
Apparently there are a lot of fratboys who claim the same superpower. I don’t think it’s as effective in attracting mates, though.
Steve, Frat boys require 151 Rum, beans, Flatulence, and a lighter to make theirs work though…
Those things were thick down here in Texas when I was a kid. I can remember we still had swarms of them in the 1980s. I can’t recall having seen any in years though.
And that’s *exactly* the purpose for the project–where are they now? And can we figure out why they are disappearing?
I’ll post a link on my blog in an effort to throw some light on this topic… Okay, so that was too easy.
Aw shucks, I thought the fab telly serious was coming back!
Bugs are important, too. More important.
andrea
Thanks, BG. I posted on osage+orange as well
LOL at the lolbug.
HAHAHA