false beacon of light
by Douglas J. Lanzo
flashing forest firefly
caught in spider web
The orb-weaver spider is a master at weaving elaborate wheel-shaped webs that span across forest trees, capturing fireflies absorbed in mating rituals. Unfortunately for fireflies, the first firefly caught is not immediately killed, but rather just immobilized. That causes it to continue to flash, attracting more and more fireflies into the deadly spider web. And so the orb-weaver’s tale is woven…
Further reading:
‘Orb-weaver spider’, Wikipedia article, available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orb-weaver_spider
‘These Spiders Use Captured Fireflies as Flashing Lures to Snare More Prey’, 2024, Sullivan, W., Smithsonian Magazine, available: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-spiders-use-captured-fireflies-as-flashing-lures-to-snare-more-prey-180984940/
Author bio:
Doug is an award-winning American author and poet of over 500 internationally published poems whose debut novel The Year of the Bear won the Ames Award for YA Books and whose second book I Have Lived was named American Book Fest Novella of the Year. His Author’s website is www.douglaslanzo.com.