Science Saturday: Daisies, Fireflies and Viceroys, oh my!

Over the course of the year, I'll be reading through The Beginning Naturalist by Gale Lawrence and A Field Guide to the Familiar also by Gale Lawrence.

This past week I read about Fireflies, the difference between Black-eyed Susans and Daisies, and (impostor Monarch Butterflies) Viceroys. 

A few interesting things I learned: 

• Fireflies are not flies.....they are beetles. 
• The fireflies that fly are males. Most species of female fireflies can not fly.
• The light they produce has no heat. Scientists want to try to develop a light of similar properties. 
• Black-eyed Susans and Daisies are not related. 
• Daisies are from Europe and Asia, while Black-eyed Susans came from Western USA. 
• Black-eyed Susans are biennials, while Daisies are perennials.
• Viceroys survive well because they are almost identical to Monarch Butterflies which tend to poisonous. 
• They stay in the area in which they are born, they do not migrate like Monarchs. 
• Their eggs camouflage well on tips of leaves.