Firefly Conservation

Insect populations are currently in decline all over the world, and one of the most visible indications of this decline is the decrease in the numbers of fireflies performing their displays at night each summer. We can help try to stop this!

Currently, threats that fireflies face include light pollution (it interferes with their displays, which prevents them from finding mates), pesticide and herbicide use (kills fireflies, their prey species, and plants both live on), habitat loss, and climate change.
Some things that the average person can do to make their immediate surroundings more firefly-friendly include:

• Consider changing outdoor lighting to make it less disruptive (turn off lights as much as possible that are not strictly necessary, use motion sensors or timers to turn off lights when people are not present) [Xerces guide to firefly friendly lighting]
• Don't use pesticides or herbicides, including lawn treatments or mosquito treatments [Xerces guide to protecting fireflies from pesticides]
• Don't rake and throw away fallen leaves, leave them alone because fireflies lay their eggs in leaf litter and spend their larval stage there [Xerces guide to providing nesting and overwintering habitat for insects]
• Submit observations to Firefly Atlas or iNaturalist

The most common firefly species across the eastern US is Photinus pyralis (that's me!), but there are thousands of species worldwide. Some of these species have very specific lifestyles or live in very specific habitats, and are the most vulnerable to extinction. The Xerces Society keeps a list of fireflies that are currently endangered.

There are only 3 species of synchronous fireflies found in North America, and I have seen two of them in person! I have twice had the opportunity to see the Smokies synchronous firefly (Photinus carolinus) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (alongside Blue Ghost fireflies as well) and seen Snappy Sync fireflies (Photuris frontalis) around the area where I live. I have not had the opportunity to see the Southwest synchronous firefly yet, but I hope to someday.

Some Interesting Firefly Facts

• This was mentioned already on my "weird bio" page, but a study found that some orb weavers will manipulate the flash pattern of male fireflies they catch in their webs to make them flash like females, presumably to attract more male fireflies which the spiders will then prey on (source)
• Fireflies are so toxic to reptiles and amphibians that the ASPCA has a page warning people to never let their pet lizard eat one because, quote, "there are no reported cases of firefly ingestion in lizards who have survived long enough to receive veterinary care" (source)
  • This is also the reason why the plan to add fireflies to Minecraft was scrapped, they were going to have frogs added in the same update eat them
• Many firefly species have neotenous females, that is, the females retain their larval appearance into adulthood and cannot fly. This characteristic is common among fireflies in Europe, but is rare in North America (Blue Ghost fireflies have this, and are also unique in that the flying males produce light)
• The larvae of most firefly species are predators and feed on slugs and snails. All fireflies glow as larvae, but interestingly enough, not all of them do as adults

Resources

Xerces page on firefly conservation
Xerces guide to establishing a firefly sanctuary in the US
Xerces publication: State Of The Fireflies Of The United States And Canada
"Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs" : THE best firefly book, if you want any book look no further, it even has a fold out visual guide to flash patterns