ROCHESTER, N.Y. – If you’ve noticed more fireflies this year, it’s not your imagination. For today’s Good Question, News10NBC’s Emily Putnam set out to shed some light on the reason for this dazzling display.
There are more than a dozen species of fireflies in the Finger Lakes region. Putnam spoke with a conservation biologist who described this year as a “bumper crop” for the bugs.
“This year we’ve gotten a lot of reports from around the Northeast that people are seeing really abundant firefly displays,” said Richard Joyce, an endangered species conservation biologist with the Xerces Society, which tracks firefly populations across the country.
Emily Putnam: “What kinds of conditions help fireflies thrive?”
Richard Joyce: “They really like moisture, they don’t like to be sort of dried out in the sun… that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to have a pond in your backyard, but even having the grass a few inches taller might keep a little micro-climate that keeps the lightning bugs happier.”
New York State has 40 different species of fireflies. 12% of them are threatened with extinction, according to New York State Parks. 33% of them don’t have enough data to determine how well or how poorly they’re doing. Only one species has been proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Commission to be protected on the endangered species list – that one species is only found in sand dune wetlands along the Mid-Atlantic coast.
“The three big threats that we consider that fireflies face are habitat loss, light pollution and pesticides,” said Joyce. To help protect them, Joyce says it can be as simple as closing your curtains at night so the light from inside your home doesn’t spill out. Lightning bugs need darkness so that potential mates can see their flashing lights. Letting your grass and wildflowers grow a little longer can also help the bugs thrive.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says it’s normal for the number of fireflies to change year over year, based on things like precipitation and temperature. But could this summer’s glowing insect influx be enough to secure a bright future for the bugs?
“It’s great to enjoy these displays, but it’s not necessarily a sign that we’re out of the woods in terms of keeping all fireflies from going extinct,” said Joyce. “This is such a cherished group of insects that I think we’ll rise to the occasion.”
Joyce oversees a community science project called “Firefly Atlas” which works to track different species of fireflies. Amateur scientists in the Finger Lakes region are invited to participate. It will require participants to catch fireflies, photograph them, and complete a form for research purposes.
Click here to learn more about how to participate in Firefly Atlas.
If you have a Good Question you’d like answered, send an email to [email protected].
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Good Question: Is Western New York seeing more fireflies this summer? WHEC.com.
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