Fireflies are accessible biological magic: jewels of light glinting in summer evenings throughout the world. Silent Sparks is a treasure trove of information that will leave the reader even more astounded by these wondrous insects. Gracefully presented by Sara Lewis, who has studied fireflies for over 30 years as a professor in the Department of Biology at Tufts University, Silent Sparks is well worth reading from cover to cover. Topics include the life stages of the firefly life cycle, firefly courtship (including “translation” of their visual love messages), the evolutionary value of nuptial gifts, glowworms, the anatomy and biochemistry of firefly light, the marvel of synchronous flashing, eating fireflies (in a word: don't, unless you are a very specific predator), mimicry, ecology, and the relationship between humans and fireflies. Lewis’ appendices include a field guide to common fireflies and guidelines for “Further Firefly Adventures,” including “Talking to Fireflies,” ways to...
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Book Review|
May 01 2017
Fireflies
Silent Sparks: The Wondrous World of Fireflies.
By Sara Lewis. 2016
. Princeton University Press
(ISBN 978-0-691-16268-3) 223 pp. Hardcover. $29.95
Cate Hibbitt
Cate Hibbitt
1Lincoln School 301 Butler Ave Providence, RI 02906 [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
The American Biology Teacher (2017) 79 (5): 422.
Citation
Cate Hibbitt; Fireflies. The American Biology Teacher 1 May 2017; 79 (5): 422. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2017.79.5.422
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.