Where Have All the Fireflies Gone?
A summer tradition is on the brink of extinction
As I was recently sitting on my front porch in the early evening, I caught a glimpse of something that brought a smile to my face.
A lone firefly hovered for a moment in the fading light, then blinked its familiar yellow glow as it slowly flew across the front walk. It was followed by a second one, answering its visual call – then a third.
Sights like this are getting harder and harder to find in my neck of the woods.
Nothing says “summer” like a fields full of fireflies lighting up the evening, but views like this are becoming the exception rather than the norm. (image credit - newengland.com/yankee/magazine)
Back in my youth, the nightly light show of fireflies (or “lightning bugs”, as we called them), would flicker across most backyards, fields, and other areas of tall grass. A large field would hold thousands of them, their steady yellow pops of light illuminating the acreage like stars in the sky. We’d scurry into the house and ask our parents for a small glass jar, poke a few holes in the lid, and then wade into the blinking lights with our hands out, hoping to catch a few to briefly hold onto them, creating a nightlight found only in nature.
Fireflies were one of the few bugs that kids seemed to never be afraid of, and giggles of laughter could be heard as one would land on a finger or the palm of a hand.
But that was then, and nights like those are now reserved only for stories to our kids and grand-kids.
So, what happened?
In a word – us.
According to researchers, firefly populations have been declining for decades, with some species on the brink of extinction. Loss of habitat (from development), light pollution, pesticides, and climate change have all contributed to a dramatic drop in annual firefly populations.[1]
The blinking lights from their abdomens are their way of communicating with one another, and there just aren’t any other friends out there to talk to anymore, which is a shame.
Seeing fireflies do their nightly dance was one of the wonders of our young childhoods, and if we’re not careful, they’ll be just another story to tell instead of an experience to savor and remember.
So, if you happen to see a few fireflies flitting about this year, turn off your porch lights, grab your kids or grand-kids, and point them out. They may be the last generation to experience one of nature’s warm weather spectacles.
Have a great week!
[1] https://www.firefly.org/why-are-fireflies-disappearing.html, “Disappearing Fireflies”, referenced 6/19/25