Fireflies are vulnerable to climate change and habitat loss. Some simple landscaping tricks and turning off porch lights can make a big difference.
I’ve never seen a single firefly in my life. I don’t think we get them in England, sadly :-(
I’ve seen so few this year. Everything is so manicured around me and the landlord pays for landscaping/mowing/etc so I can’t keep the leaves out for them :C I’ll start keeping the porch light off at night though!
Fewer? Locally, friends have been commenting in the past week or so how nice it has been that there are so many more this year. (Western NY) And more bees, ticks, and mosquitos.
I get that we’re in a massive crash but at the moment, locally, there seems to be at least a momentary uptick.
- Turn off your porch lights. Fireflies are incredibly sensitive to artificial light and it can confuse them.
- Ditch the manicured lawn and embrace native plants. In addition to being easier to care for, they suit the local environment and conserve water.
- Leave some leaves behind when you rake in the fall. They’re a great place for fireflies to find food, stay cool, and lay eggs.
- Plant shrubs, tufting grasses, and other, large plants. These can shelter fireflies during rainstorms and other severe weather.
- If you spot fireflies, jot down when and where you saw them and add your observations to citizen science databases like iNaturalist, Firefly Watch or Firefly Atlas to help scientists collect data.
I often see fireflies hanging out on my dendrobiums, as well as wasps and spiders. The shape of the plant and stiffness of the leaves seem appealing to insects.
Of all the charges I remember over the decades, I miss the fireflies the most.
Wait until you start missing the bees
I’m actually seeing a lot more this year in my yard, and I’m wondering if it’s because I didn’t rake/mow my leaves in the fall. I’d like to say that I left the leaves on the ground for the bugs, but it was really just laziness.
I also recently got a plugin hybrid and while it is charging there’s a green light on the dash… I noticed a firefly hanging out on my windshield flashing every time my car flashed. Poor fella thought he found the largest firefly around.
Same, here in Michigan I have seen an explosion of fireflies and rabbits compared to the last few years. It’s like they are a cycle.
I had been feeling the same thing in Eastern Pennsylvania. Used to see lots of both, but last few years the lightning bugs were hardly noticeable and I hadn’t seen a rabbit in quite a bit when they used to be a regular sight in the neighborhood. But the last week or 2 there have been some nice lightning bug shows, though not as great as when I was a kid, and I’ve notices some bunnies grazing by the entrance to my road again.
I have a corner in my backyard near my compost piles that I don’t really touch.
Three years going, and I see fireflies in huge numbers.
We were worried we wouldn’t see any this year. The house across the street sold and the new owners cleaned up the backyard which had been great wing wild for years.
Fortunately we still see tons! We removed our grass in the front and replaced it with Dutch clover so I’m thinking that might be why. I also have our lights set to go off at 10pm.
We’ve been making a conscious effort to be more friendly to pollinators and fireflies for the last two years. I stopped leaving the exterior lights on when we didn’t need them. I overseeded wildflower mix on a part of our lawn that is hard to mow, and while I mulched the leaves, I left them where they were and then just didn’t touch a whole section of our land that now looks pretty wild with weeds. That part was some laziness too, but it was so validating to see twinkling lights in the field outside and in the brush. I’ve been making a point of going to look for them at twilight, they really are magical.
I’ve been seeing more because I’ve convinced my husband removing the leaves under the bushes is bad and he agrees!
We have fireflies in our area but one of our neighbors sprays for mosquitoes (huge fan on the back of their truck and they drive around the neighborhood) and every year I notice the fireflies leave (die) when that starts.
I’m seeing a lot more than usual, but… That’s because I moved lol
We have tons but yea other people should help them. Fireflies are dope.
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