https://www.wesa.fm/environment-energy/2022-06-07/the-firefly-population-could-be-declining-heres-why

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Environment & Energy

The firefly population could be declining. Here's why

By Megan Frank | WLVR
Published June 7, 2022 at 5:30 AM EDT

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Mexico Fireflies firefly insect night nature woods trees bug light
Rebecca Blackwell
/
AP
In this July 22, 2016 photo, fireflies light up a forest path inside
Santa Clara Firefly Sanctuary, near Nanacamilpa, Tlaxcala state,
Mexico.

This time of year, fireflies--the official insect of Pennsylvania
--light up the Lehigh Valley.

But that glow is starting to dim, as firefly population numbers
decline globally.

One in three firefly species in North America may be at risk of
extinction, according to a study by the Xerces Society for
Invertebrate Conservation.

Marten Edwards, professor of biology at Muhlenberg College, said the
main culprit is the loss of their natural habitats.

"Fireflies are endangered in some places: Certain forests, if there's
a choice to cut them down or leave them in place, leaving them in
place might make a big difference," said Edwards.

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People can help with firefly conservation by avoiding pesticides, he
said, and turning off outdoor lights, which confuse the bugs' mating
habits.

He explained that the glowing light produced by fireflies, called
bioluminescence, comes from their lantern-like organs.

"It is a chemical reaction that produces light, but doesn't make any
heat. It's like the reaction you get in glow sticks," he said, "So
you see them flash, they turn the light on and off. And the way they
do that is by opening up little holes on the side of their body that
lets oxygen in."

Another way to help, he said, is to planting trees and native
grasses, and to allow log and leaf litter to accumulate.

"They prefer longer grass and they like to be in the leaf litter from
the leaves that have fallen from last year," Edwards said, "That will
make a much better firefly habitat."

He said it's ok to catch fireflies, on one condition:

"I would never discourage anyone from catching them and putting them
in a jar. Just let them go when you've finished looking at them,"
said Edwards.

Peak firefly season runs from mid-June through July.

Read more from our partners, WLVR.

Tags

Environment & Energy Top StoryFirefly

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Megan Frank | WLVR
See stories by Megan Frank | WLVR

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