Freddy the Firefly.

A survey of 49 of the world’s firefly experts, published Monday in the journal BioScience, has identified the most serious threats to the animals. Habitat loss, in almost all of the regions surveyed, is a problem. Other threats include artificial light, which disturbs their mating rituals; pesticides, which can harm the insects or their invertebrate prey; and water pollution, for species that have an aquatic stage.  Ben Guarino. Washington Post.

There was a little firefly, and Freddy was his name.

He landed in the darkened fields, displaying a cold flame.

He turned it off and on all night, in hopes of finding love.

Cuz it was lonely sitting there on some old dull foxglove.

But fields where he could find a mate and be a snuggle bug

were growing rarer than a Gabbeh woven Persian rug.

And poisons sprayed upon the air by farmers round about

interfered with pheromones, and gave the females gout.

But at last he spied a glow that floated lazy past,

and this prevented Freddy from remaining too downcast.

For he was sure it was a firefly of female form;

the kind that he could mate with if no others joined his swarm.

And so in hot pursuit he went, to trail the swinging light,

and planned how he would woo her when he caught her in mid-flight.

But when he came up to the little minx, twas all in vain --

he'd been misled by flashlight, as he hit the window pane.

 Poor Freddy now, just like the moth, flies round the porch light, sad --

hoping against hope that he may still find his dryad!