As a child, my summer nights were spent running around our yard, jar in hand, catching these blinking bugs with my neighborhood friends and siblings. In the late 1960s, the Fort Detrick base near our house was doing research on bioluminescence and paid 1¢ a piece for fireflies. So after placing them in our jars we’d put them in the refrigerator to slow their activity. My dad would take them to work the next day and return with our payment that evening.

I think we’re still looking for answers about ‘cold light,’ but it doesn’t require any research to enjoy the beauty of a firefly-filled night!