Real Digital Production Featured expert Dr. Jennifer Frick-Ruppert on the Blue Ghost Firefly

Blue Ghost

“For just a few weeks a year, the enchanting blue ghost fireflies (Phausis reticulate) make their appearance in Transylvania County, NC. They are different from other fireflies since their light stays on constantly and they fly just above the forest floor. It’s a romantic story! According to our local expert, Brevard College Professor Dr. Jennifer Frick-Ruppert, “the males are small with black elytra and brownish wings, about 1/4-inch in length and delicate. Females are flightless and grub-like. These fireflies do not flash. Instead, the males glow constantly with a dim bluish white light, drifting silently just inches off the ground. With hundreds or thousands of these blue ghost fireflies meandering aglow over the dark forest floor, the ground itself seems eerily adrift.” -Katlyn Mobley (Real Digital Productions)