CATCHING LIGHTNING BUGS DRIVERS

While they are good for the safety of cities and roads, not so much for the fireflies. As forested areas or those with tall grasses and native species continue to be lost to buildings, parking lots and perfectly manicured lawns, lightning bugs are left without a home.Īnother major reason they are suffering is because of light pollution.ĭecades ago, there were not as many lights, such as lights on streets corners and outside of homes. The beetles also are losing their habitat to development. However, as the climate continues to change and we have more drought-like conditions, the ecosystems and conditions where they survive are shrinking.

CATCHING LIGHTNING BUGS DRIVERS

Long answer: Habitat, light pollution and chemicalsįor fireflies, 'primary drivers of decline include habitat loss and degradation, light pollution, and climate change,' according to the State of the Fireflies of the United States and Canada report issued in January 2022 by the Xerces Society, IUCN and Albuquerque BioPark.įireflies do well in areas with some moisture and humidity – they often live near ponds, streams, marshes, rivers and lakes or in the margins where these areas meet fields and forests. The conservation group based in Portland, Oregon has been working with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to document fireflies' plight. These include the Bethany Beach firefly ( Photuris bethaniensis), which is only found along the Atlantic coastline in Delaware, according to The Xerces Society. These are the species where there is enough information to know they are on the decline.

The last set is the threatened category, which accounts for about 14% of types of fireflies. While that means they could be doing well, they also could be in such a small pocket that they are on their way out or, worse, are already gone.

The second group makes up 40% and includes those fireflies where too little is known about them: “They have been seen so little and reported so infrequently,” Henriques said. These are species with a wide geographic range and that alone makes them of lesser concern at the moment. The first are species that are considered not threatened, and Henriques said there are just a few like that. The fireflies they surveyed fell into three main categories. The results of that research were fascinating – if not frustrating. There has been a recent and ongoing effort to better grasp populations of lightning bugs, or fireflies, across North America and assess the threat of extinction, he said. They are working to gather more information. Researchers across the country, like Henriques, are trying to change that. Part of the problem, however, is that there isn’t great data on lightning bugs to be able to speak quantitatively or with specificity. “If you ask people on the street,” he said, “many people will fondly think of a time when they used to see more and now don’t see as many.” “If we go from qualitative assessment alone, they seem to be on the decline,” said Sérgio Henriques, the invertebrate conservation coordinator for the Indianapolis Zoo’s Global Center for Species Survival. At least that’s what the evidence suggests. The lights of fireflies are being snuffed out. Lightning bugs or fireflies: What are those glowing insects called? Short answer: Fireflies are hurting You could be right, because there are signs the flashy beetle that once was so commonplace – as was the pastime of catching them – may become a thing of the past. And they've been around for millions of years.īut you may feel as if you are seeing fewer flashes across the night sky compared to when you were younger. In North America, there are more than 170 species of Lampyridae, or light-emitting beetles, and there are more than 2,000 types worldwide. And then waiting to catch a glimpse of the small flash between your fingers before letting it go again. You know how it goes, pursuing the flickering lights across the dusk sky until you clap your hands in a sphere around one. Chasing lightning bugs on a summer night is a rite of passage for many youngsters.

Catching lightning bugs