There are many places where you'll see fireflies (also called "lightnin' bugs"). You can get one to come to you by watching for its flash, counting 2 seconds, and then blinking a penlight for a half-second. No, really, it works. You need to be consistent, since any error will scare off your bug. They speak "light" fluently.

The Firefly Call automates things. You place the device on a fencepost, hanging from a tree, on your head ...wherever you want. It "watches" and blinks in several directions at once, bringing dozens of the harmless ultra-impressive bioluminescent creatures right up to your porch swing, for a relaxing evening. It's adjustable for various species and regions, and even cycles through the patterns, so you can find the ones that work best.
-- Amos Kito, Sep 14 2002

Firefly Communication http://whalonlab.ms.../communication.html
includes sex and murder! [FarmerJohn, Sep 15 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]

€€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€
-- po, Sep 14 2002


Croissant. More like this, please! ;op
-- yamahito, Sep 14 2002


Fireflies... the great untapped renewable resource.
-- RayfordSteele, Sep 14 2002


How much candlepower does a firefly produce?
-- BinaryCookies, Sep 15 2002


Definitely more than a moskito.

Why the hell not?
-- polartomato, Sep 15 2002


"The luciferase from the North American firefly releases green light during the oxidation of its chemical substrate, luciferin.

Firefly light is very effecient. Unlike lightbulbs, over 95% of the energy that goes into the luciferin-luciferase reaction is emitted as light. Very little energy is lost as heat.

The firefly's light is about 1/400th of a candlepower."
-- FarmerJohn, Sep 15 2002


I'm just wondering why.
-- angel, Sep 16 2002


It's too cold where I live for fireflies, but I've seen them in the Tropics. First time, I didn't know what they were, and fell to my knees swearing I'd never touch a drop again of the funny lights would just go away. Nice idea. Croissant.
-- 8th of 7, Sep 16 2002


I live just a couple of hours from one of only two places on earth where firefly flashes are synchronous. I've never seen it, but it's said to be very impressive, with waves of light spreading through the forest. I wonder...if you took your firefly call to this place and flashed it out of synch with the local fireflies, would they all come over and beat it up?
-- beauxeault, May 27 2003


//I'm just wondering why.//

'Cause they look really cool, especially in numbers. June's almost here!
-- snarfyguy, May 27 2003


//€€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€//

€€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ ;-) €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€ €€€€!

PS Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. My connection's on the blink.
-- FloridaManatee, May 28 2003


Croissant ,,, this sounds like a late nite camping design job to me ,,, photo eyes and LEDs ,, basic logic ,,,, this is dooable
-- zippyt, May 29 2003


Cool, i'll buy some of these to put near my solar array so it works at night too. (+)
-- WhiteWiz, Mar 07 2004


Strobing croissant for you.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 08 2004


Many years ago I worked as a stage technician, and was asked to design and build some realistic "fireflies." I made a bunch of neon bulb relaxation oscillator circuits that gave the right slowly pulsing glow, but the color was all wrong - too orangy, when what was wanted was yellow.

After several attempts to make yellow gel filters, I chanced upon a source made by emptying out a popular brand of cold capsule - bingo! a yellow gel filter just the right size to fit over the neon bulbs.

I still have the expense report receipt showing $4.95 for "cold capsules for fireflies!"
-- csea, Mar 08 2004



random, halfbakery