I just listened to an edition of WNYCs RadioLab where they spoke about John and Elizabeth Buck first studying this phenomenon. It was a very interesting piece you can check it out through iTunes - the episode was titled Emergence.
On 9/28/07, William Silvert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I am no expert on fireflies, but I would like to mention that some fireflies > in SE Asia flash in synchrony. Regions consisting of several trees can > contain thousands of fireflies that all flash together, a sight which I am > told is incredible and beautiful. The mechanism for this is not well known, > but it is a topic of great interest to behavioural ecologists as well as > researchers on complex systems. > > Bill Silvert > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "WENDEE HOLTCAMP" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 8:01 PM > Subject: fireflies/ppl learn about science > > > > FIRE-FLIES: First I'm doing an article on fireflies and it seems they're > > most common (or only found?) east of the Rockies except Utah. Yet there > > are > > some anecdotal reports from CA and WA. Can you all tell me if any of you > > currently see blinking fireflies - of any species - there are 175+ in the > > US > > (not all flash though). OR if you "remember" seeing them when you were a > > kid. Another common report is that they are declining in some areas but no > > one seems to know why - could be chemicals, could be habitat loss, could > > be > > light pollution, could be that people are just not outdoors enough to see > > them. But can anyone confirm for me that they personally saw them as a > > child > > in CA or OR or WA? In the West? Or that their parents or grandparents (who > > are living and I can contact) saw them out west? >
