May 7 science lecture to reveal discovery of new fireflies
The Lewes Public Library’s Science and Society lecture series will welcome wildlife ecologist Dr. Christopher Heckscher at 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 7, for an online conversation about his work tracing firefly populations on the East Coast, including his discovery of new species.
Fireflies are popular, charismatic insects, yet a recent North American assessment found that too little is known about most species to determine whether they are common, rare, or even where they occur. Heckscher’s desire to learn more about the distribution of fireflies in eastern North America resulted in a lifelong mission to explore rare and uncommon wetlands, resulting in the discovery of seven species of fireflies in four Northeastern states that for more than 200 years had remained unknown.
To register for the online event, go to tinyurl.com/LPLScienceSpring24 or call the library at 302-645-2733.
Heckscher is a professor of environmental science at Delaware State University, where he studies both birds and fireflies. For 15 years, he was the Delaware state zoologist for the Nature Conservancy and the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife. His research has recently been featured in a Netflix documentary, Popular Science magazine and Smithsonian Magazine.
The Lewes Public Library’s Science and Society - Making Sense of the World Around Us lecture series is co-organized and moderated by Colin Norman, former news editor at Science; Fred Dylla, executive director emeritus of the American Institute of Physics and author of “Scientific Journeys”; and Lynda Dylla, former public information officer at the Jefferson Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy.
