35%! 1/3rd of the way to the firefly genome

Wow! Thanks to some very generous donations, we're now more than one third of our 10K goal to sequence the firefly genome! An enormous thank you to all our backers, and remember that every dollar counts for supporting firefly science!

Your support is making the firefly genome a reality, and we're thrilled that you've joined us to find out what the firefly genome will teach us, and see how the firefly genome will kickstart new studies in firefly science and beyond.

Here's another fun photo from the field, this time collecting firefly larvae. Firefly larvae are great! As larvae are the stage where fireflies spend most of their time, you can find firefly larvae spring through fall, well outside when you might see the magical sparks of adult fireflies.

Try walking around at night in natural grassy areas and the edge of forests, turn out the lights and let your eyes acclimate to the darkness. You might be surprised to see the slow rising and falling glow of firefly larvae! Don't worry, once you see it, the glow of a firefly larvae is unmistakable. With a red headlamp to protect your night vision, you can collect the larvae by hand, and can even keep them happy longterm in a humid box on a weekly diet of moistened dry catfood. They'll grow, and if you're lucky, might even become adult fireflies at home! But be careful: separated from their natural environment, firefly larvae don't know the proper time to become adults, meaning they might undergo metamorphosis in the middle of winter when there aren't any mates to find when released. Always remember when collecting fireflies to release them in the same habitat that you found them, and at a time of year when they can survive and mate if adults. That way everyone gets to enjoy the magic of fireflies, but also gives firefly populations the best shot at thriving for the next generation to enjoy!

 

Pictured left to right (Fu-Shuang Li - Weng Lab, Tim Fallon) Photographer: Jing-Ke Weng