This is the second in a week-long series of columns written to coincide with national Newspaper Week. The columns take you behind the scenes of projects, with reporters talking about them in a Q&A format.

Two stories began in the same place, the ancient wooded swamps of the Francis Beidler Forest.

The stories focused on different topics but shared a theme: the interconnected ecosystems that define the Lowcountry and neighboring regions, from barrier islands and coastlines to salt marches, inland riverways, wetlands and more. Sea levels and tidal patterns affect the habits throughout this intricate system.

Jonah Chester of our Rising Waters Lab reported both stories. One explored the question of lightning bugs – whether their numbers are declining – and what that potentially says about p

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