Did you know fireflies are beetles not flies? This is because of their body which, isn't like a fly it's more like a beetle. There are many things to learn about this firefly which is description, habitat, and diet and predators.

The description of a firefly is a dark brown color with a mixture of red and black. The size is about 15 millimeters long. The light in the firefly is mostly off of heat but has no ultraviolet ray; the light is a pale yellowish color. This animal doesn't have many adaptations, but is very interesting.

Fireflies do well in their habitat because they are nocturnal which means they only come out at night. Females are actually predators to males by making light signals to attract, catch, mate, and then eat other males. Fireflies can be found in temperate and tropical environments over the summer. Then over the winter they borrow underground. Populations of fireflies are always going up and down, but population increases over the summer.

There are not many predators of fireflies because they are poisonous to most vertebrates and are even deadly. The only predators to fireflies are reptiles. Fireflies mostly drink water to stay alive or nectar and pollen. When larvae are born they eat slugs and snails.

Fireflies are considered beetles because of their diet and habitat. Some things stood out in this essay and the number one thing that stood out was that they borrow underground during winter. In conclusion, fireflies have a lot of information.

Author: Skylar T.
Published: 02/13

Sources: http://zipcodezoo.com/animals/p/photuris_lucicrescens 
http://english.turkcebligi.com/firefly 
Photo Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/firefly