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photo by Herbdoc on gardens.mattters.com

Well, I ended up getting in really late last night, and could not get my daily light posted (though I was thinking about it all day). So today I'll post twice, though the content will be closely related.

The more I think about the progression of this project, the more I see that there is a chronological order that things will fall into. I began with a vignette of my childhood, so it only makes sense to go from there.

One of the very first lights that I discovered exists in the posterior of the ethereal lightening bug, classified in the order Coleoptera, family Lampyridae, with several subfamilies that range in their luminescent capabilities.

I will wax poetic soon...

Check this description of how one of my favorite creatures light up. (http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/P/Photuris_lucicrescens/)

"The light that a firefly creates is the result of a combination of four different ingredients. This light is produced through a chemical reaction involving luciferin, which is a substrate, , an luciferaseenzyme , ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate), and oxygen. The light producing section of the body is located in the sixth or seventh abdominal section of the firefly. It is within this that the two compounds luciferin and luciferase are stored. A firefly will cavitydraw oxygen in through its complex system of air tubes and expose the oxygen to the luciferin and the luciferin will then oxidize and activate the luciferase. This will generate a light that will shine through the skeleton of the abdomen. It is important to note that scientists disagree about the method that the fireflies use to control the duration of their flashes. One theory, known as the "Oxygen Control Theory", explains that fireflies can control the length and duration of their light by regulating the amount of oxygen that they intake . If little or no oxygen reaches the part of the firefly known as the phonic organ, the chemical reaction will not be extremely strong and the light of the firefly will not shine very brightly or for a lengthy duration. Another theory, known as the "Neural Activation Theory" states that fireflies have neural control over the activity of structures called "tracheal end cells". These structures aid in the initiation of the chemical reaction. Whether or not the fireflies have physical or neural control over their ability to produce light, their method of creating the light that emanates from their bodies is extremely efficient. Very little heat is given off of this light which means that not very much energy is wasted at all."

Wow. I have always thought that bioluminescence would be an amazing starting point for environment-friendly illumination. One of my goals as a biologist (in the future) will be to find out how to make this happen. Perhaps I am just a little silly here, but doesn't the above description seem to describe the method by which to make natural light bulbs?

Until I finish with my own mad scientistry, I will focus on the artistry. For a couple of years now, I've had a vision of a dance that involves chasing and catching fireflies in my skirt. I am working on how to make this happen, and have some pretty good ideas.

Until my dance is created, enjoy this one. I am constantly enamored of the dance of beauty that is order and chaos in our natural world.