"Inspired by fireflies... our team of Stanford-trained PhDs are using off-the-shelf methods to create real glowing plants in a do-it-yourself bio lab in California, " said project leader Antony Evans.

BBC: Glowing tobacco plant

Later, in the near-dark, we sat on the screened porch watching the fireflies.

NEWYORKER: History of a Disturbance

Previous efforts to create light-emitting plants in the lab have made use of a luciferase gene derived from fireflies.

BBC: The light fantastic: Harnessing Nature's glow