Indiana Students Want Firefly Named Official State Insect

Associated Press

Second-graders at Cumberland Elementary School in West Lafayette are urging legislators to make the firelfly Indiana's state insect.
*Photo by Jessica Lucia, CC*

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Indiana's legislative session may be over, but a group of elementary school students says it's time for lawmakers to make the firefly the state's official insect.

WLFI-TV reports that an effort in the 1990s to make the firefly the state insect failed because one state senator refused to hear the bill.

Second-graders at Cumberland Elementary School in West Lafayette recently learned that Indiana doesn't have any state insect. That sobering news prompted them to write postcards to state Sen. Ron Alting and State Reps. Sheila Klinker and Randy Truitt urging them to support giving state insect status to the illuminating insect.

The youngsters from Maggie Samudio's class met Wednesday with Purdue University entomology professor Tom Turpin, who told them all about fireflies.

Turpin says he applauds the students' efforts.

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