11 Cool Things You Never Knew about Fireflies

Fascinating stuff via Scientific American!

Perhaps because we are so familiar with them, either from growing up chasing them or seeing them portrayed in art, film and books, we may think that we know all about these simple insects. Yet our flashy friends have a dark side that includes little-known tales of deception, poisoning and death. As summer approaches, here are 11 cool things about fireflies that you might not know.

Fireflies are beetles. Whether you call them fireflies or lightning bugs, these insects are neither flies nor true bugs. Instead they are beetles, just like ladybugs and rhinoceros beetles. Like other beetles, fireflies have a pair of hardened wing cases, called elytra, that the wings fold underneath. The elytra open for liftoff like gull-wing doors on a car, freeing the wings for flight.

See the full list of 11 cool facts at Scientific American