Article: Find the light on fireflies; Fabulous flash dance helps boy bug meet girl bug.(PEOPLE)

Byline: Pamela H. Sacks

What "fly" is not a fly at all but a beetle? Here's a hint: These tiny insects make meadows sparkle on a summer night.

Just about every species has unexpected characteristics that raise eyebrows and elicit comments such as, "No kidding? Is that really true?" And the firefly is no exception, says Kristin Steinmetz, a natural history guide at Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Worcester and Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary in Princeton.

Fireflies are soft-shelled beetles, and there are about 40 varieties in New England. Surprisingly, two of those varieties do not light up - which make one ...

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