Summary
In a national park famous for synchronous fireflies, the SciGirls decode the flash patterns insects use to find each other in the dark.
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Ages 7+
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Full episode (28 min) from SciGirls, season 7.
- What information is a firefly's flash carrying?
- How do the girls tell one species' pattern from another's?
- Why would flashing together help a whole group?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: bioluminescence, pattern, species, signal.
Try it: Invent a three-flash code for a message. Have a partner decode it with a flashlight.