Some folks know them as “fireflies”, others call them “lightning bugs”. Several years ago, I started a one-man crusade to come up with a better common name for these bioluminescent beetles. They are not flies, and they don’t make fire. They are not bugs, and they don’t make lightning. But they are beetles and they flash, so I started calling them “flash beetles”. C’mon, say it with me: “flash beetle”. It’s accurate, and it’s still just as much fun to say as firefly or lightning bug.
With all our weird weather this growing season, I shouldn’t be surprised to see other weird things happening. We are now in our SECOND flash beetle season this year. They emerged and delighted us in May and June as they have every spring we’ve been here. This is about a month ahead of when we enjoyed them in Upstate NY years ago, but it’s been happening at the same time each year. The weird thing this year is that over the past week or so, they’ve COME BACK. We’ve got them all over the place in the evenings, and it’s a real treat. I need to do some digging now to determine just how unusual this is.
You can learn more about these fascinating creatures here and here, and see some good photos here.
God bless the flash beetles!
Update, 7/22/14 from Science Bob:
The Waterthrush Blog 
a nc lightning bug girl need more info
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where i can find firefly ?
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i”m so into lighting bugs!!!
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did I get thru to you
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Hello Melynda, and thanks for your interest. If you’re not finding the flash beetle information you need from the links included in the post, then I can try to answer your question as best I can.
~tjo
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how can one tell a male from a female?
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I wrote a story that takes place ina fictional world in which I renamed these charming reminders of my youth cinder beetles because they look like cinders flying up from a crackling fire when they take flight at night. I think cinder beetles sounds as charming as the insects themselves.
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Lovely story, Paisley. Thanks!
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I live in South Louisiana and I haven’t seen a firefly in a long time…I use to lay in bed and watch them out my window but we just don’t see them anymore..
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I like the name “cinder bug”
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Since 2012, all students enrolled in Intro to Entomology at OSU were taught the new name for Lampyrids. Surely this has seeded the revolution.
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Yes!
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