AKA Lightning Bugs, these precious creatures are dwindling in numbers. Pesticide use, along with light pollution – i.e. bright lights alongside of your house, in your yard, and in your neighborhood, as well as more urban area lighting in general are contributing factors in the decline in numbers that we are seeing.

I used to see hundreds of them in my backyard every summer starting in June. Seeing them is a staple of summer. Seeing them is a marker that summer is here. Seeing less of them each year is concerning.

I went on a quest this morning to see if there was an organization or any way that I can contribute to slowing the progression of possible extinction of these beetles – the projection is 20 years and they will be no more. I can’t imagine a world without lightning bugs.

I found an organization that collects scientific data on fireflies, and the best part is that we can all contribute. It’s science and it’s fun!

The organization is called Firefly Atlas, and, well, that’s pretty much what it is.

The Firefly Atlas is a collaborative effort to better understand and conserve the diversity of fireflies in North America. Launched in 2022, the project aims to advance our collective understanding of firefly species’ distributions, phenology, and habitat associations, as well as to identify threats to their populations.

Although the Atlas tracks all species described from the US and Canada, we are currently prioritizing efforts for a subset of 13 threatened and data deficient species found in three focal regions of the US: the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Southwest. These priority regions were chosen based upon having a high number of threatened species (Fig 1) and/or a high number of data deficient species (Fig 2).

Figures 1 and 2. Threatened species (left) are clustered in the Southwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic through Midwest regions of the U.S. In the West, data deficient (DD) species (right) make up a far larger percentage of each state’s firefly fauna than in the East, with the exception of Florida. Figures extracted from State of the Fireflies of the United States and Canada: Distributions, Threats, and Conservation Recommendations.

What Can You DoThrough This Project?

• Find information about how to survey for 13 focal species;
• Access survey protocols and species identification materials;
• Submit observational data, including photos;
• Identify the fireflies in your photos, with the potential for verification by experts;
• Download a species checklist for your state or province of interest;
• Learn more about fireflies, their ecology, and ongoing conservation efforts;
• Help researchers better understand the distribution of fireflies; and
• Connect with other researchers, land managers, and community scientists.

Whether you already keep records of firefly observations, work as a conservation professional, or are simply curious to learn more about the fireflies in your area, please consider joining our efforts!

Images and copy from fireflyatlas.org

https://www.fireflyatlas.org/

Please follow this link and if you feel inspired, let the little scientist in you participate. If you are not able to participate, please consider donating to this organization that is collectively trying to save our beloved, luminescent-bootied summer creatures.