Summer is the most nostalgic season. Since we live in the town my husband and I grew up in, I have spent every summer as a parent re-creating my own childhood memories for my daughter.
Eating ice cream cones. Test-tasting fresh fruit at the farmers’ market. Toasting s’mores. Riding bikes to the coffee shop. Swimming—all the pool time we can squeeze in! Spotting foxes and snakes. Dancing at Wolf Trap’s Children’s Theater in the Woods (one of the most magical places on earth).
Catching fireflies—oh, wait. We don’t do this anymore. There are no fireflies to catch in our backyard. It’s such a shame—and raises alarm bells about our local ecosystem.
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What happened to everyone’s favorite summer bug?
Are fireflies endangered?
A study published last month analyzes the reasons we’re seeing fewer and fewer fireflies not just in my yard but across the U.S. Researchers ran data from the collaborative citizen science initiative Firefly Atlas through artificial intelligence to determine firefly population patterns.
They learned that climate disruption is likely playing a larger role in firefly decline than previously thought. Which is what I feared. The study’s lead author, Darin McNeil, told the Chicago Tribune, “As it turns out, weather and climate appear to be, at least in general, the most important variables for predicting firefly abundance and firefly population status across the eastern United States.”
There are more than 2,200 species of fireflies in the world, living on every continent except Antarctica. New species are still being discovered. Amazing. The U.S. and Canada are home to roughly 170 species, 18 of which are threatened by extinction. Not amazing.
Fireflies are a summertime staple because they thrive in warm temperatures and wet conditions. But with climate-fueled extreme heat and drought, tried-and-true firefly habitats are becoming less hospitable. Superstorms and flooding can inundate breeding grounds and disrupt life cycles.
It’s not all bad news. While some parts of the country, namely, the South, are seeing a decline in fireflies (or lightning bugs, as they’re known here), other parts, like the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, might experience population growth as average temperatures become warmer.
“Researchers are always saying there are climate change winners and losers, right?” said Candace Fallon, a firefly researcher at the Xerces Society, to the Chicago Tribune. “Some species are going to benefit from the impacts of climate change, and then others are not, their populations are going to tank. They’re going to lose habitat. And fireflies are no exception.”
Of course, it’s not just climate disruption that’s threatening fireflies. Urban and agricultural development also spoil their habitats, artificial light can disrupt their development and mating patterns, and pesticides just plain kill them off.
What can we do to support firefly populations?
Fewer fireflies isn’t just a bummer for nostalgia junkies like me and firefly-deprived children like my daughter. These charismatic beetles (did you know they are beetles?) play pivotal roles in local ecosystems. They are predators that can keep other pests, like snails and slugs, at bay. And researchers are working to mimic their glow for use in medical imaging—to map tumors and other diseases in the human body. How cool is that?
Thankfully, there are a few things we can do to protect these creatures:
- Give fireflies a place to thrive by planting native gardens.
- Preserve their fall and winter habitat by letting your fallen autumn leaves be, instead of raking them up for compost or trash.
- Keep fireflies alive by not using pesticides.
- Protect their development and mating cycles by turning off nighttime lights in your yard and asking your local government to adopt dark sky standards.
- Learn more about your local firefly population by participating in Firefly Atlas.
- Join Moms Clean Air Force to advocate for a stable climate for all our favorite summertime fauna.
I’m hopeful taking some of these steps will result in even a few fireflies in my own backyard, so I can share the pure joy of catching—and releasing—these delightful bugs with my daughter.
Tell Congress: Commit to Climate Investments and Clean Air Progress