Fireflies flash their glowing light in patterns that can be fast or slow. On a dark night, capture a firefly within the hands and place it into a jar. Cover the jar with cheesecloth, or other breathable fabric. Secure the cheesecloth with a rubber band. Observe the flashing firefly light. Take notes on how many flashes occur during a minute, as well as the flashes' duration. Each firefly species has a different light pattern for attracting mates. Release the firefly after recording the data. Capture another firefly in the same manner and record the new light flash data. Continue to capture and release fireflies until the student has at least 10 firefly data sets. The student can create a science experiment explaining, and proving, how many firefly types there are within a given community region.
A student can use a pen flashlight, emitting a thin light beam, for observing males and females becoming attracted to one another. Quietly observe one firefly. Mimic the same light flashing patterns as the observed firefly with the pen flashlight. Continue the pattern. Fireflies of the opposite sex should begin to move into the area, flashing their lights in the same pattern. Students can perform this experiment with different firefly flash patterns, recording the time it took between the initial pen flashlight pattern and the arrival of the firefly mates.
A firefly's light chemical reaction mimics the reaction of a common light stick. Crack the light stick and the internal chemicals mix to form a temporary glowing light. Temperature affects the reaction, however. Place a lit light stick in a cup full of icy water. Place another lit light stick in another cup of warm water. Observe the reactions. The cold stick should emit less light than the warm stick. Record how long it takes for the normal light stick to dim or brighten. Students can make the relation between the light stick and the firefly through this experiment. Students can hypothesize if the fireflies could live and reproduce in a hot region as opposed to a cold or wintry region.
Do not attempt to experiment with temperature variations on actual fireflies. Extreme cold or heat can easily kill the insects. In addition, make sure to use warm water, rather than hot water, during the temperature experiment. Children can easily be burned with hot or boiling water.