Story #4 in the Wyatt Wonders…Series

"Why Don’t Fireflies Need Batteries?"


There’s a question that has puzzled me
and I’d really like to know…
do fireflies need batteries
to make their taillights glow?

Like the stars up in the sky…
their tails light up the night.
I’m very curious just to know…
what makes them shine so bright?

Some people call them lightning bugs
With their sparkling flare down under.
I love to watch the flash they make…
but I’ve never heard them thunder.

My favorite thing on summer nights
is to chase these little bugs
and try to snatch them from the air
and put them in glass jugs.

My sister likes to chase them too…
so much to her delight.
It’s very fun to play and see
how many we snare each night?

We play a game and count our bugs
to see who gets the most.
The winner gets a special prize
and claims the right to boast.

I catch the bugs with my bare hand…
Little Sis prefers a net.
And when it‘s time to count our bugs
we see who wins the bet.

Is it magic in the fireflies
that makes their tails shine bright?
Or is it just mother nature’s way
of brightening up the night?

I used to be afraid of them.
I thought their tails were hot.
Then one night I touched one’s tail
and found that it was not.

Their light blinks on then fades away
all through their merry flight.
Chasing them is my favorite part…
of any summer night.

Our grandma gave us little cages
to put our glow worms in.
We catch as many as we can
Then set them free again.

It makes me happy to let them go
and see them fly away.
In my heart it feels so good
to play the game that way.

If we always set them free
when this game we play…
there always will be fireflies
to catch another day.

I like to hold these little bugs.
I think of them as friends.
They bring me so much happiness…
I hope summer never ends.

So, I ask you once again…
what makes their taillights glow?
If it’s not batteries that makes them shine
what is it…I’d like to know?

Fireflies tails have always flashed…
throughout recorded history.
But just what makes their behinds shine…
to me remains a mystery.