Oddly this year they are really prevalent in my area. In prior years I haven't seen nearly as many.
I'm intentionally avoiding lawn treatments and insecticides this year. I love my yard, but I'm also thinking about switching to clover.
GUYS GUYS I CAME BACK TO THIS POST BECAUSE THERE IS A FIREFLY IN MY BEDROOM!!(I rarely see it theese days but it's here now)
I moved to Minnesota in the early 2000s and was blown away by all of the fireflies. It was magical. I'll never forget snuggling up with someone and watching the fireflies during a thunder storm.
The decline was unbelievably rapid. The last 6 years I was there I'd maybe see one or two the whole summer. If that.
It's so sad because they're truly wondrous creatures.
They got Roundup
Over the weekend I saw an incredible display of the blue Ghost Firefly right up in my face while camping in Pisgah. What a thing. I have been reforming my entire yard to facilitate insects. This year I did have a significant amount of fireflies compared to years past. Things can change and get better. They might not, but we might as well try for good.
I saw lightening bugs for the first time in years when I moved to the east coast. I was so excited, I caught some and brought them inside to show my cat (I let them back out of course). Next year, nada. So far this year? Also nada. I even made a point to leave the leaves. 😔
Man I feel lucky, there are a ton of lightning bugs in my yard
There's so many here at the Rustbolt homestead.
It's like Lampyridae Ft. Lauderdale.
I don't even see butterflies anymore. Sad.
I have probably seen a total of three bees in person in the past 10 years.
Our planet is dying in front of our eyes.
But it all isn't real because sometimes its still cold
How fucking depressing is it. Meanwhile, republicans are doing everything they can do fuck us over even more.
What are you doing about this? All I see is people posting complaints like you are, and massive protests being completely ignored by everyone. Republicans only respect violence, and the left doesn't value violence so we are left looking like limp impotent bitches.
Plant milkweed and don't touch your dead leaves!
I have no yard, so no can do.
Steal one, then turn it into a bug factory.
I haven't seen a butterfly during most of my teenage years but have seen a resurgence last few years because gardening as a hobby became huge for mothers and young adults alike.
My mother used to have a small but lushful garden when I was a child but she wasn't able to maintain as many plants because busy and budget.
I saw more this year than previous years. I wonder what legislation passed locally
This is kind of wild to me. This year we're seeing more fireflies in my yard than we have in a long time. My husband and I have been commenting on it. At night there's an awesome light show and it's kind of awesome. Whatever is happening in my neighborhood they definitely like!
It's likely because of the recent storms causing damp leaf and damp vegetation clutter, which is what they like to hide in during the day, where they lay eggs, and where they live.
You clearing your yard of all the leaves into non-biodegradable plastic bags into the dumpster and having an ugly as fuck monoculture grass lawn isn't helping these insects recover from being at risk of going extinct.
It was only a few, but, I did see some while camping this weekend.
Same, been camping twice this summer and both times I was taken aback and both seeing them (it’s become so rare), and how few there were. Used to be swarms of them in my backyard, not I go camping just to see 3 of them.
Well at least we’ll still have lightning bugs, right.
I have participated in No Mow May for three years now. I also have a spot in the yard I let be free (weeded it for invasives) for the same amount of time.
This summer, for the first time since I have lived here, exsists an abundance of fireflys in my yard. They are everywhere, in a way I've never seen since I was a child.
No Mow May, (even if just a part of your yard) gives insects a place. Bugs live in the leaves and natural debris, by keeping it undisturbed, from fall to winter is important for many bugs' survival.
If you like bugs, consider dedicating space in your yard for them to live. Don't keep grass in the typical american perfect lawn way. I suggest not to spray, and look at native grasses and plants first when seeking your landscaping needs.
I've noticed a real difference this year in my yard. Maybe its some coincidence, I don't know. Either way I'm happy to see lightning bugs again
One night in ft Gordon we were doing an FTX and we got out there late and set up the tents in the dark, n in a field of tall grass. No sooner than the tents were set up, an intense rainstorm came through and dumped a metric fuckton of rain in 15-20 minutes. And as quickly as it started, it was over. Afterwards there were so many fireflies it looked like a fantasy movie. I had never seen anything like that. I've been all over the world, hell I grew up in Boulder, on of the most beautiful places on earth, but I've never seen anything even close to that. It was absolutely magical. And my kid gets so excited to see 2 or 3 and it makes me want to cry.
They were everywhere when I was a kid. I haven’t seen one in years.
They were so delightful, and I miss them.
I stopped mowing super regularly and my yard is full of em
Let the weeds grow, let the forest in. I'm in the Smokies fwiw
Just the other day my son was chasing the fireflies in our front yard.
…That front yard I was feeling bad about not mowing because the weeds mixed in with the grass quickly grow tall flowers above the head.
I think I want to keep helping those blinky-bois.
There are SO MANY DAISIES everywhere! I can't wait to see what happens with a little more effort on my part
You and I and others like us, we can help.
Yeah, fireflies lay eggs on dead leaves. The ultra-clean suburban yards are killing firefly populations, because people keep raking up the fireflies breeding material and throwing it away in plastic trash bags. A perfectly kept lawn is an ecological wasteland, and suburban trends have expanded that wasteland for miles at a time. It’s no wonder fireflies have struggled to survive.
Want to see fireflies? Stop raking your lawn. If you don’t like the way the leaves look, mulch them with a lawn mower early in the season, so they can blend in with the grass. But don’t just fucking rake them up and throw them away.
Same
They’re back, and they’re happy with my mess of a lawn.
I don’t think my lawn will ever look like a golf course, there was an above ground pool at one point so one area is packed densely and full of gravel sized rocks.
We threw down some clover, there’s wild strawberry, one spot has mint (I’ve been told trying to remove it is a sisyphusian task). It’s cozy now, and I guess the fireflies like cozy, and I like watching them from my patio.
Stop raking your leaves
Oh yeah? What next, don't mow my lawn every day?
Next you're gonna say that my excessive pesticide use harms the insects I like
Y'all have trees?
Yes and I planted some of em :3
You can get them fresh from the factory. Sure, they need 96 batteries each, but beats all that nasty wood and bugs.
Used to catch them growing up. There would be thousands of them periodically blinking in the yard and across the field every night. It was pretty and serene.
I saw one just the other night when I let my dogs out before going to bed. It was so surprising that I had to wait a minute and verify I wasn't just seeing things. It was a real life lightning bug. It was a happy sad moment.
I can't remember when I last saw fireflies. They used to be quite common 25 years ago when I was a kid. Damn, time flies and I'm getting old. And fire apparently doesn't fly any more.
You would not believe your eyes if ten fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep
Upon further investigation, it appears that only SOME species of fireflies are at risk of extinction. Others are so common they are of "least concern".
If foreign propaganda bots are bombarding us with doomer memes to instill apathy and depression in the younger generation, this fits.
Maybe, but I haven't seen one in decades in our area. Used to see them every summer. I've thought about that for a while, even before this.
Fight this by not bagging your leaves. Leave some for our buddies! https://blog.nwf.org/2024/09/leave-the-leaves-to-save-fireflies/
Leaf* some
Fireflies are fascinating and beautiful creatures. Another user mentioned donating to xerces society which is a great idea. Another thing that you can do if you are fortunate enough to own land is to replace your lawn (non-native, mowed grass) with native plants and leave the fallen leaves undisturbed.
I replaced my entire lawn with species native to my region and my entire yard is currently covered in multiple species of fireflies. It's so magical to see all the different colors and flashing patterns. Mind you, I live in the city so it's only my yard that is really providing for them. All my neighbors' yards have either no fireflies or a few.
You don't have to replace your entire lawn like I did. Just setting aside some space for our wildlife neighbors is better than nothing. Remember plants are the foundation of almost every food web. For me, it's magical to go outside and see the new blooms and growth, look for new creatures that show up, and just walk the little paths in my small yard. In an age of ecologic collapse and climate change it gives me some sense that I can have a measurable, positive impact and that really helps me mentally.
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