Fireflies – the sights in sakleshpur

by | May 12, 2017 | Blog | 0 comments

Its 10:00 pm on a clear night. I am browsing the internet, sitting in an easy chair on the porch of our house in our plantation, miles away from towns and cities. My attention is suddenly diverted. I find myself surprised to see the stars as they seem to descend from the skies. Could that be happening, I ask myself as one of them transforms into a firefly, hovers around almost indecisively until it gently settles on my hand. Yes, a Firefly !! The same magical creature which blinks, flickers and winks at you in the dark.
At the outskirts of the sleepy town of Sakleshpur in the Western Ghats, May is the season for these fireflies and as I look around, the estate seems to flicker and shimmer as thousands of these little creatures vie for attention.  It’s an ‘Electric Light Orchestra’, and its easy to be mesmerized by the “MAGIC”. It never ceases to amaze me that nature has its own high standards of creativity or how easy it is sometimes for us to ignore the beauty around us. There is an abundance of this magic but in the quest of making a living, we tend to lose out on these simple joys of life. I put aside the laptop and step out into the stardust as it envelopes me in brilliance and transports me deep within my memories.

I am sure most of us in our childhood have come across fireflies. I know of some who have been scared to touch them, possibly fearing heat or a jolt of current. While others, like me, collected them in match boxes and set them loose within the mosquito nets that were prevalent in our homes. As kids we enjoy these moments, not giving a passing thought as to how these insects emit this light. I am already in the fourth season of this magic, yet I did not know the answer to this – until now. I power up the laptop as I decide to find out for myself.

Just like us humans, fireflies believe in social interaction too and this is the reason for the light they emit. The light is a result of a chemical reaction in their body called ‘Bioluminescence’. No surprise that this is primarily done to attract mates. The female fireflies are either found on the ground among the grass or are on tree branches/ trunks. The males fly around emitting light and when the female recognizes a male from its own species, it emits light to respond to the male. Yes! There are over 2000 species of fireflies alone in this world. Shocked? It surprised me too. The flashing rate and wavelength provide a suitable way for different species of fireflies to send out different signals and distinguish themselves from other species. Reminds me of the song –“Come on baby, light my fire”

Fireflies also emit light to avoid predators. A self defense technique! Fireflies are filled with a nasty tasting chemical called ‘Lucibufagens’. Once the predator gets a taste of this, it quickly learns to associate the glow of the firefly with this bad taste. This way, they warn predators to stay away! Some species of fireflies which are unable to produce this chemical feed on other species that can make it and thus they acquire this chemical.

Well so much for the science. To me, fireflies bring just three thoughts –
They make you go wow and bring out that childlike quality of pure amazement. They make you realize that they are nothing but the epitome of love while displaying passion, attraction, a matching of wavelength, response, a dance, illumination,  and romance.
And if you are lucky, on a quiet dark night, they’ll put up a wonderful show of pure beauty that can make even the busiest of us stop what we are doing to soak up the serene, non-intrusive brilliance of nature’s wonders.