- Series:Animals, Transcript English
Matthew 5:16
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Some time ago here on Creation Moments we did a program about Asian fireflies that flash in unison. The unspoken question was, “Aren’t there some American species that flash in unison?” Someone in Tennessee who saw the same reports on which our program was based had the answer to that question. She contacted a researcher at Georgia Southern University to report an American species that clearly flashes in unison. At 
first, researchers had a difficult time believing that there were other firefly species that could accomplish this difficult task. But now several American species that flash in unison have been identified.
The newly identified species is found in the eastern United States, as far north as Pennsylvania and all the way down to Georgia. Another species has been found in Texas. Yet another species is found in the Gulf states. In each case, the males synchronize their flashes, creating a dramatic light show. Some species flash in unison for hundreds of flashes, producing shows that last up to three or four minutes.
Researchers have tried to explain this complex behavior in what is supposed to be a simple species. What troubles them is that every explanation they come up with credits the firefly with having some sort of pacemaker in its tiny brain. To those with an evolutionary view, this is unacceptably complex. But for those of us who know we have an all wise Creator, the synchronized flashing of fireflies is but another sign of the excellence of His work.
Prayer:
Father, let my light shine before men so that others may see Your work. Amen.
Notes:
Susan Milius, “U.S. Fireflies Flashing in Unison,” Science News, March 13, 1999, v. 155, p. 168. Photo: Adult firefly or lightning bug. Courtesy of Bruce Marlin. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.
