Common Eastern Firefly

A male common eastern firefly, Photinus pyralis, caught mid-flight with its lantern lit. This is the backyard firefly of the eastern United States, and its nickname, the big dipper firefly, comes from the male's habit of swooping upward as he flashes, drawing a J of light in the dusk. Each flash is a question: a female waiting low in the grass answers after a short, species-specific delay, and the pair talk their way toward each other in light.