Are you interested in observing and documenting fireflies, but aren’t sure where to start? Between scientific names, flash pattern measurements, and insect anatomy terms, fireflies can be an overwhelming subject! Read on for some tips on equipment, what to pay attention to, and how to stay safe. Ready to survey for fireflies? Read through the …
Firefly researchers (professionals and community scientists alike) often find themselves on a steep learning curve when gathering data on firefly species, especially when they are using methods that don’t involve collecting specimens. This post breaks down some of the ways to ensure that the data you are collecting is as useful as possible for species, …
Candace Fallon, Senior Endangered Species Conservation Biologist If you submit data to the Firefly Atlas, you might be wondering what becomes of that information. You likely know that we are crowdsourcing data to better understand firefly distributions, seasonality, habitat associations, and more. But what does that mean in practice? And who has access to this …
By Richard Joyce, Endangered Species Conservation Biologist By the Numbers Firefly Atlas grew by leaps and bounds this year, as community scientists and agency biologists across North America dove into making firefly observations and conducting surveys. Check out some of the Firefly Atlas’s 2024 statistics below! Notable Findings Firefly Atlas participants made important and fascinating …
By Candace Fallon, Senior Endangered Species Conservation Biologist I’ll cut straight to the chase: reality. Fireflies in the Pacific Northwest are very real, although they may not quite match up to the image you have in your mind. Nineteen species of fireflies have been reported from the Pacific Northwest, which we are defining here to …
By Richard Joyce, Endangered Species Conservation Biologist You’ve created a Firefly Atlas account, looked over the participant handbook, and watched the training video. You’ve read the Community Science Code of Conduct, gathered the equipment you’ll need, and printed out survey data-sheets. There’s just one issue: you don’t live in any of the focal regions highlighted …
By Candace Fallon, Senior Endangered Species Conservation Biologist Whenever someone asks me why I’m visiting southern Arizona in the summer, and I tell them it’s for firefly surveys, they look at me blankly. Fireflies? Here? No way. In the desert? No. East Coast, sure. Midwest, absolutely. But Arizona? Perhaps Arizona is not the first place …
Henry Brean, Arizona Daily Star | “Each year in late spring, the forest fills with fireflies that flash in unison at Great SmokyMountains National Park. The synchronous show draws so many spectators to western Tennessee that the park service has to hold a lottery to limit the number of vehicles in the area at the …
Seth Borenstein, Associated Press | “On a muggy July evening, Delaware state biologist Jason Davis is doing what kids have done for ages: Trying to catch a firefly. It’s nowhere near as easy as the summer evenings of his own childhood, with only a few in this large wetland between a bay and the Atlantic …
Pien Huang, Regina G. Barber, Rachel Carlson, Berly McCoy, NPR | “Every year for two weeks between mid-May and mid-June, Congaree National Park in South Carolina is home to a fairy-tale-like display of flashing lights.” Keep reading at https://www.npr.org/2024/07/17/1198910402/synchronous-fireflies-lightning-bug-endangered-congaree.
Adriana Perez, Chicago Tribune | “For many who grew up east of the Mississippi River, yellow twinkling lights punctuate magical childhood memories. New England natives call them fireflies, but they’re known as lightning bugs from the Midwest to the South. No matter their regional name, they are a staple of warm summer evenings.” Keep reading …
This is a project of the Xerces Society, working in collaboration with the IUCN SSC Firefly Specialist Group and New Mexico BioPark Society.
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