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"  Fireflies could be slowly flickering out of existence. Serious bug watchers think they&amp;#039;ve observed a recent decline, but scientists aren&amp;#039;t certain\u2014firefly populations go through natural booms and busts. Getting a read on them is difficult, says Don Salvatore, coordinator of the Firefly Watch project at the Museum of Science, Boston. &amp;quot;Fireflies are much more complex than people realize,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s not like counting birds or flowers or butterflies.&amp;quot; Now, firefly fans across the U.S. can help scientists gather crucial data while spending leisurely evenings in their own backyards. Firefly Watch provides tips for identifying telltale flash patterns; in return, volunteers submit weekly observations, plus details about their local landscape. Such information may help scientists tease out the effects of lawn mowing, pesticides, and light pollution (fireflies&amp;#039; flashes, the insect equivalent of a listing on Match.com, can be drowned out by porch lights and streetlights). Sign up to participate, or help interpret the data collected so far, at mos.org/fireflywatch.  Meet The Beetles There are about 200 species of fireflies, or lightning bugs, in the U.S. The grubs of all species glow, but only adults east of the Rockies flash. Each species has a distinct flash pattern, which speeds up or slows down according to the temperature. Here are seven of the most common. 1 SPECIES: Photinus consimilis [slow pulse] // GLOW: yellow-green // MALE FLASH PATTERN: Two to three 1/2-second flashes every 15 seconds. 2 SPECIES: Photinus consimilis [fast pulse] // GLOW: yellow-green // MALE FLASH PATTERN: Four to nine flashes every 11 seconds.  3 SPECIES: Photinus ignitus // GLOW: yellow-green // MALE FLASH PATTERN: A quick 1/8-second flash every 5 seconds.  4 SPECIES: Photinus consanguineus // GLOW: yellow-green // MALE FLASH PATTERN: A double 1/4-second flash every 6 seconds.  5 SPECIES: Photinus marginellus // GLOW: yellow-green // MALE FLASH PATTERN: A 1/4-second-long flash every 3 seconds.  6 SPECIES: Photinus pyralis // GLOW: yellow-green // MALE FLASH PATTERN: A 1/2-second-long flash every 6 seconds.  7 SPECIES: Pyractomena angulata // GLOW: amber // MALE FLASH PATTERN: A rapid flicker every 3.5 seconds. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a7726/a-field-guide-for-flickering-fireflies-9077287/>