Glow Bug

There were a bunch of Glow Bugs in our garden the other day and I made a comment to Safi about how beautiful and wholesome it was. Then she had to go and spoil it by explaining in great detail about how they were basically just displaying that they were available for sex.

Glow Bugs are a small flying insect that can be found across most of the region, and are most known for the fact that their butts light up. However what most people see as a fun and beautiful display of twinkling lights, is actually a rather complicated form of communication. One which Leric Johavna has spent over ten years studying, and only recently released a paper on. In it she claims that the Glow bugs have over fifty different combinations of frequencies, rhythms and colours that they use to communicate a variety of messages.
Glow bugs are a type of flying beetle with a hard carapace which splits down the back to expose their wings and their bulbous abdomen. Their carapace is a rather dull brown colour with thin stripes of black that run from front to back. They have six pairs of legs, with tiny hairs on them which allow them sense vibrations. Their heads are very small and are mostly taken up by their large eyes and small mandibles. They have two pairs of gossamer wings, which fold underneath their carapace when they are not using them, for protection.
Glow Bugs will eat almost any plant life that isn't toxic, they are not fussy eaters which is why they are so common. Glow bugs from certain regions may show different preferences to certain species of plants, but as a whole they will eat whatever is available. The Glow Bugs of the Puurtan mountains have a particular fondness for night violets, and lavender leaves, as such people who live in Seat of power will often grow them in their gardens when it's the right Constellation season.