Could lightning bug appearances become a thing of the past?

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – Those magical summer dusk scenes we shared as children featuring fireflies are slowly becoming extinct.

Depending on where you grew up, you may call them fireflies, lightning bugs or glow bugs. They have different names, but their familiar glow always signaled the beginning of summer.

Across the country, lightning bug populations are slowly fading. With their origins dating back tens of millions of years, there isn’t a definite answer to explain their disappearance.