Synchronous fireflies are creatures of darkness and stick to the most shaded parts of the forest. This image was captured in near-blackness following dusk, and even then they avoided the cleared roadside. A few blue ghosts (Phausis reticulata) meander through the low vegetation to the left as well. Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA.
Twenty-five minutes of synchronous fireflies in the Smoky Mountains at their seasonal peak. This species has a distinct 5-8 flash signal. The synchronicity is not when the insects are flashing but when they are dark, as they entire forest alternates between sparkles and complete darkness. Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA.
The larviform adult female of the blue ghost firefly. Tennessee, USA.
