![]() ![]() Surprisingly, I also discovered that many people who’ve never seen one relegate the firefly to the same realm as the unicorn - they don’t realize they actually exist. Occasionally I’d search for info about fireflies in Arizona and always came to the conclusion that, aside from the occasional glowing beetle larva, they were not to be found. More than the snow, more than the Chesapeake, more than the deciduous horizons - I missed fireflies after living here for over a decade. But of course I had no expectations of seeing them here in southern Arizona. On the East Coast many of us grew up catching fireflies or “lightning bugs.” We’d contain them in jars or in our hands, falling asleep to the strange, bitter smell they leave on one’s skin, which seems to take an entire day to depart. If we all incorporate these few simple things into our landscapes, we will help keep the fireflies blinking for generations to come so that your grandkids’ kids can drift off to sleep with all their firefly wishes gently blinking.Guest Blog and Photos by Julius Schlosburg Now-a-days, I also can’t help but wonder if there will always be lightning bugs blinking in the summer night-time sky. Still to this day, I fondly remember those summer nights with my grandparents every time I see a lightning bug flash. Educate your friends, family, and neighbors about how they can help fireflies survive and thrive. Turn off all outdoor lights at night and use blinds over your windows to block indoor lights from shining outdoors. Preliminary research reveals that outdoor lighting may disrupt firefly flashing signals to attract mates and warn of danger. Empty and replace standing water every 72 hours to avoid breeding mosquitoes. You can help by building a small pond or making a shallow depression filled with water. Fireflies love to congregate near standing water or marshy areas. ![]() Another idea is to consider letting the lawn grow taller in a corner of your landscape and planting a row of native shrubs to hide it. By adding native sedges and grasses to the landscape, you can provide the taller grass-like vegetation preferred by adult fireflies without needing to mow. Mow less frequently during firefly season so that you are not disturbing their daytime location. Adult fireflies spend daylight hours on the ground among tall grasses. If you fertilize your landscape, use compost or a commercially available product that is all natural and nontoxic. Many chemical fertilizers contain the same harmful compounds as pesticides and greatly impact firefly populations. They either come in direct contact with the chemical or encounter it indirectly by eating something that was sprayed. ![]() These chemicals applied to the lawn to kill insects and/or weeds greatly impact fireflies and their larvae. Do not use pesticides or herbicides in your yard.Another idea is to set aside an area in your landscape that can remain “messy” and plant a row of native shrubs to visually block the area if you (or your neighbors!) do not like seeing it. You can help by incorporating dead logs into your landscape as decorative features and using fallen leaves as mulch. The larvae of fireflies live in fallen leaves and rotten logs where they easily find a meal of slugs, snails, and worms. Scientists have only just begun to study fireflies, but there is evidence that we can help their populations by following a few simple steps. Fireflies are, in fact, disappearing and no one knows exactly why. Now-a-days there seem to be far fewer lightning bugs than when I was 10 years old. The next morning, I would let them go in the grass beside the porch, saying “Have a good day sleeping! I will see you tonight!” I would drift off to sleep with my little “stars” gently blinking. I spent many summer evenings catching lightning bugs with my grandparents, putting them in a jar (with holes in the lid), and setting them on the bedside table. I remember feeling as if they were stars that came down out of the sky so that I could catch them and make a wish. Lightning bugs, fireflies, or glow bugs – regardless of what you called them, many of us have fond childhood memories of seeing their blinking lights at night in the summer. ![]()
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