05/17/2024
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Where did all the fireflies glow?
We get asked the question all the time - hey, why don't I see that many lightning bugs anymore? The simple answer is, maybe your community is no longer a good habitat for them. Before we get to the longer answer of why you're not seeing them anymore, you need to know how this beetle starts out life.
Fireflies lay their eggs in the ground where they then mature into glow worms. It's during this larval stage where they spend all their time eating other, tinier insects. Born and raised in the duff, they need the leaves that naturally litter the ground.
That’s why it's important to leave your backyards and street sides as untouched as possible every autumn to preserve the larvae and small insects living in the leaf litter. This helps to ensure a healthy, new year of fireflies.
Ok, leave the leaves, but what are some other ways to help?
💡Turn off outdoor lights in the evening. If you have inside lights on, close the blinds
💡Plant native plants
💡Mow grass less frequently and raise the length of the cut to 4 inches
💡When leaves drop in the fall, rake them if you want, but keep them in your yard
💡Use non-pesticide solutions for insect control
Check out the comments for more ways you can help re-glow and re-grow the firefly population.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Lucia (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
