We get excited when we see a few fireflies lighting up a summer night. In India, at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in western Tamil Nadu, fireflies put on a spectacular show that rivals any awe you may feel by seeing the reserve's elephants or tigers. Each of the many species of firefly relies on a recognizable light color, brightness, and sequence of bioluminescent flashes to find each other in the darkness. The result is a series of waves from fireflies as they synchronize with each other.
Filmmaker Sriram Murali has spent ten years trying to bring awareness of light pollution and the effects it has on the natural rhythms of species like the various fireflies. Read more about Murali's work with fireflies in the wild at Colossal.