Amber Fly

The Amber Fly is a hummingbird-sized firefly commonly found around bogs, marshes and the Hedge. They prefer feeding upon flowers and flowering plants like hummingbirds. They prefer the blossoms of the Marny flower as their chosen food source but will eat nearly any form of green leaf. The insects are essentially a larger version of a harmless firefly though females do possess a long, stinger-like appendage they use to implant their eggs within their silken egg sacks. The amber fly, if properly cared for, kept warm and well-fed, would continue to produce light for a full year. The glowing abdomen of the amber flies produces the same degree of illumination as a single, normal candle at their lowest level of illumination and that of three candles at their brightest. The insect uses the glow of their abdomen to signal others in a recognizable pattern. A single, lazy pulse appears to mean that the insects are content - rather like a cat's purr. Two pulses is an alert to others that food has been found. Three pulses is a signal for mating.

The flies could in cage-like baskets that are woven to allow the light to escape but not the fly. A lid on top allows the halfling to keep the fly fed with leaves or flower petals. Once fed, the slow, pulsing light varies from one to three candle's worth of illumination so long as they are kept in a low-light environment. In direct light, the flies will dim their light as much as possible so as not to attract the attention of predators. Used as a lantern or reading light, the flies, if well-cared for, would live for a full year.