Fascinating fireflies ! 螢火蟲季又來了，遵守「賞螢三不」，賞螢之餘還學相關實用英文！

年度的螢火蟲季已經開始。每年的四月初教練都會發文提醒大家有螢火蟲可以觀賞。這個淒美的畫面，每年只有一次(公的螢火蟲交配完即死亡，母的螢火蟲產卵後也會死亡。看得見發亮的螢火蟲多是公的。)所以大家看到的螢火蟲，其實生命已經走到了盡頭。

賞螢三不：

1. Don’t catch

2. Don’t interfere

3. Don’t shine light

之前有跟大家分享的新店和美山賞螢經驗，在此提供數張相片，有興趣的同學，現在開始，可以在晚上六點以後，搭乘捷運新店線，至新店總站下車，走過碧潭吊橋。一過橋往前走約一百公尺，會看到大佛寺指標，上面有個陡坡，上坡前有標示寫著賞螢路線，爬上山去就會看到螢火蟲了。

螢火蟲是晚上七點至八點最活躍，一直到五月應該都還看得到。五年前我上山賞螢之後，後來每年都會去，可惜的是，每一年感覺螢火蟲的數量都變得更少，近年因為天候的變化，螢火蟲產卵的時間點每年都往前提早ㄧ些。有興趣的人請上山看看就好，不要捕捉、使用手電筒或是逗弄這些正努力繁衍後代的蟲蟲。

新店的賞螢路線，過去曾經是新店碧潭幸福樂園的遺址(有興趣的同學可以點我閱讀這篇文章)。

螢火蟲好美啊，這張照片是我從網路上抓下來的。(攝影/任中豪，新店童軍團提供)
新店有山有水，真是個美麗的地方。我從十歲住在新店，一晃眼也34年了。我忙到沒空出國度假，假日偶爾有空，就會去爬爬山(新店還有個獅子山，是台灣百岳之一)，和美山步道，對於不喜歡運動的人來說還算可接受。

我自己的感覺是，越往深山裡面走，螢火蟲越多。不過天黑之後，山變得有點詭異，如果沒什麼人潮，得有點膽量才敢挑戰黑漆漆的山路。

前天在山裡走迷路之後，因為恐懼的關係，遊興全消，後來在山裡面看到螢火蟲，還覺得好可怕，因為好像鬼火啊...

不過現在幾乎晚上七點到九點左右，人潮都蠻多，只要不走散了，就不用害怕。螢火蟲九點就睡覺了，所以太晚去也看不到喔。

螢火蟲長這樣。大家去賞螢的時候，不要去抓螢火蟲，看看就好，和美山也有很多蝴蝶，大家不要抓蝴蝶。我們要愛惜動物，這一點我覺得需要再教育。那天我去賞螢，到處勸人不要捕捉螢火蟲，一直被瞪白眼(好在天很黑，白眼我也看不清楚啦)

因為時間不夠，我就不再廢話了。既然提到了螢火蟲，教練也分享一篇相關文章給大家賞析。這年頭，因為光害light pollution、人潮human traffic與都市發展urban development，樹林大量減少，全球的螢火蟲數量正逐年遞減。這些可愛的昆蟲需要大家努力保護。大家閱讀完這篇文章，找個時間去賞螢吧，記得不要拿手電筒去亂照，也不要高聲喧嘩，更不要去捕捉這些昆蟲，因為放在罐子裡他們活不了。這些螢火蟲只能生長在枯木或是腐葉堆中，大家要記得跟身邊的人說，我們去欣賞美景就好，回憶可以帶回去，蟲蟲請留在樹林裡。

螢火蟲飛舞的美麗畫面(新店和美山步道)

Disappearing Fireflies

Like cool swims on hot days and lazy vacations, fireflies are a sign of summer. Many of us have cherished memories of spotting and catching them during warm summer evenings and running through fields that sparkled as if strewn with stars如星星般點綴散落(注意，strewn為strew的過去分詞). But there are signs our kids may not grow up with the same firefly memories we had. That’s because fireflies are disappearing from marshes, 溼地fields, and forests all over the world. And if it continues, fireflies may fade forever, leaving our summer nights a little darker and less magical.

Why Are Fireflies Disappearing?

Nobody knows for sure. But most researchers blame 歸咎/責難 two main factors: development and light pollution光害.

Most species of fireflies thrive as larvae(幼蟲，記得這個單字是不規則名詞，單數是larva) in rotting wood腐木 and forest litter枯葉堆 at the margins of ponds and streams.湖水或是池塘邊 And as they grow, they more or less stay where they were born. Some species are more aquatic水棲的 than others, and a few are found in more arid乾燥的 areas—but most are found in fields, forests, and marshes濕地. Their environment of choice is warm, humid and near standing water of some kind—ponds, streams, and rivers, or even shallow depressions that retain water凹地所形成的小淺塘 longer than the surrounding ground.

The problem is that throughout the world, our open fields and forests are being paved over林木被剷除，好鋪路, and our waterways are seeing more development and noisy boat traffic. As their habitat disappears under housing and commercial developments, 商業發展 firefly numbers dwindle.減少 Logging, 伐木 pollution and increased use of pesticides殺蟲劑 may also contribute to 歸咎於 destroying firefly habitat and natural prey. 摧毀螢火蟲的棲息地與它們在自然界的實物來源。

Human traffic人潮 is believed to disrupt firefly habitat as well. While scientific studies have only been done for the past few years, there’s plenty of evidence in areas that were once full of fireflies—and much of it goes back generations. Some areas once had so many fireflies that they profited 獲利 from running firefly tours  螢火蟲導覽 in marshes and forests—but since human traffic has increased, firefly populations have gone down. 賞螢的人越多，螢火蟲的數量就越少

Too Much Light At Night

Scientists don’t know enough about fireflies to tell for sure. But the signs are indicating light pollution as a major factor in the disappearance of fireflies 螢火蟲消失 all over the world.

Both male and female fireflies use their flashing lights to communicate. Some species synchronize同時 their flashes, sometimes across large groups of thousands of insects. All species speak a language of light用光來做為溝通的語言—scientists believe they use it to attract mates, defend their territory, and warn off predators.螢火蟲的閃光有三個目的：吸引配偶，保護地盤與對入侵者所發出的警示作用

Human light pollution 人類製造的光害 is believed to interrupt 干擾/中斷 firefly flash patterns. 閃燈模式Scientists have observed that synchronous fireflies get out of synch突然不一致 for a few minutes after a car’s headlights 車頭燈 pass. Light from homes, cars, stores, and streetlights may all make it difficult for fireflies to signal each other during mating 交配 (to mate) —meaning fewer firefly larvae are born next season.

Where fireflies once had uninterrupted forests and fields to live and mate, homes with landscaped lawns and lots of exterior lights are taking over. The reduction of habitat and the increase in lighting at night may all be contributing to making fireflies rarer.

Fireflies are fascinating creatures that light up our nights and bring a sense of magic and mystery to our environment. If they disappear, it will be a great loss to habitats and generations of people all over the world.