Beetles, Pacific Northwest
These Firefly Beetles can be found all over the BC coastal region and down through Washington, Oregon and into California. Unlike other Fireflies, these beetles don’t produce light, but the larvae sometimes have a pale green luminescence on their abdomen. Fireflies are beetles.
The name firefly elicits images of sweet smelling summer nights, sitting on the porch, watching the fireflies flashing in hopes of attracting a mate. This is how fireflies go about mating, but the fireflies from the Elychinia genus are the exception to the rule. They are called diurnal fireflies because they only fly during the day.
Look for Firefly Beetles during the summer months along the BC coast. Their red collar on an otherwise black body is easy to spot and easily identifies them. Look for the larvae, it really does glow at night.
There are only about a dozen species of diurnal fireflies in North America. They lack the bio luminescent organs characteristic of their nocturnal cousins. They overwinter as adults, in grooves of tree bark and they will begin mating in April, laying their eggs in rotting wood, where the larvae will spend the summer months.