Observation: Photuris douglasae
Primary Observer:
Ellie Shultz
Event Date:
2026-08-22
Status:
Unreviewed
Survey
Site Name:
Undisclosed
Province/State:
Florida
Event Date:
2026-08-22
Time of Day:
Night-Time
Start Time:
19:50
End Time:
21:33
Number of Observers:
6
Primary Observer:
Ellie Shultz
Additional Observers:
Kristen Mattson, Em Gerety, Nicole O'Brien, Chelsea LeNoble, Kate Dolamore
target_species_genus:
unknown
target_species_species:
unknown
Location and Habitat
Location Accuracy (meters):
25-50
Habitat Type:
Open Freshwater Wetland - Wetland Bog, fen, freshwater marsh
Habitat Type Notes:
Observers stayed on elevated path that was bordered by the marsh. A lot of saltmarsh mallow, southern live oak trees on elevated area of path, swamp dock, leafy bladderwort, scarlet rose mallow has been observed here before, alligator flag
Elevation (meters):
6
Area Searched (hectares):
50
Artificial Light Sources
Vehicles: No
Street Lights: No
Buildings: No
Street Lights: No
Buildings: No
Artificial Light Types
Sky Glow (diffuse illumination in the sky): No
Light Trespass (light cast on surfaces beyond its intended target): No
Glare (bright light causing visual discomfort): No
Light Trespass (light cast on surfaces beyond its intended target): No
Glare (bright light causing visual discomfort): No
Artificial Light Notes:
Observation
Observation Type:
Without Flash Data
Number Observed:
50+
genus:
photuris
Species:
douglasae
Observation Notes:
Specimen Voucher Number:
Flash Behavior
First Flash Time:
Last Flash Time:
First Flash Temp (F):
Last Flash Temp (F):
Flashes in Pattern:
Flash Color:
Flash Pattern Period:
Flash Duration:
Flash Interval:
Male Height Zone:
Flash Location:
Fireflies were flying over the marsh and occasionally flew over us on the trail that intersects the marsh.
Male Flash Behavior:
The person who caught this firefly did not notice the flash pattern, though we did observe that it was green.
Below are the flash patterns that we observed this night.
1:
Yellow/orange - rapid succession of 8-ish? flashes, usually moving downward as they flash (we saw 11-50 of these) lights are fainter and look smaller than the green ones
The rapid flashes were so fast that they were impossible to count, but it seemed like 6-8. Each flicker lasted about 0.1 seconds or less. There were about 13/14 seconds between the flickers.
2:
Green - rapid succession of 7ish? flashes, usually very near to one of the yellow/orange ones that had just flashed the same flash pattern - is this a femme fatale mimicking that flash?!
3:
Green - 2 fast pulses at a time (flash-flash, pause)
0.1 seconds between the 2 fast pulses, and 2 seconds between each set
Fireflies were flying over the marsh and occasionally flew over us on the trail that intersects the marsh.
4:
Green/yellow - single flashes exactly 3 seconds apart
5:
Green/yellow - single flashes alternating between 3 and 4 seconds apart (flash-3 second pause-flash-4 second pause-flash-3 second pause-flash-4 second pause)
Female Flash Behavior:
Status Changes
| DATE | USER | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-27 18:48:04 | Ellie Shultz | ->unreviewed |
