It's a right of passage in Iowa: Stepping out into your backyard to see fireflies lighting up the night sky. There are more than 170 species of glowing insects known as Lampyridae in North America.

No matter if you call them lightning bugs or fireflies we all remember as a child catching these bugs in our hands, putting them in a jar, or just sitting on the porch on Summer nights watching them ...

Everyone loves fireflies, the famous light-emitting insects that flit through gardens on summer evenings! They form the Lampyridae family and are sometimes called glowworms or lightning bugs.

Remember not-so-distant summer nights where the evening was lit up by so many twinkling fireflies? There were so many you could catch and observe more than a few in a jar before releasing them.

Whether you like to call them fireflies or lightning bugs, there's no denying that they are fascinating to watch on a warm summer evening. But have you wondered what makes these tiny bugs light up?

You’ve probably seen or heard at least once in your lifetime about fireflies – the famous light-emitting insects! They form the Lampyridae family and are sometimes called glowworms or lightning bugs.