It looks like just pinpricks of lights flicking off and on. It's some of the hundreds to thousands of fireflies in my yard, after years of fostering their environment.
It's come a long way since I moved in. It used to be that I could stand in the yard during firefly season and count 30+ seconds before seeing a flash. It's still not at the level I remember seeing in local areas a couple decades ago, when fields would practically glow with how many fireflies lit the air above them. But it's not nothing. And maybe my yard doesn't make a huge difference on its own, but when you multiply it by hundreds, by thousands, by millions... it adds up.
Did you know it takes years, multiple, for firefly larvae to mature into beetles? You won't see immediate, drastic effects if you start trying to help them. But when you believe in the long game, you'll see it improve over time. I don't have to wait 30 seconds to see the glow of a firefly in my yard anymore. In fact I can't count seconds anymore. There's always a light on.
That’s beautiful! If you’re interested in talking about it, what have you done to help the population recover?
I stopped stopping them. I leave my lawn to grow long during their breeding season and when mowing don't mow to the ground, I leave the fallen leaves from my trees (we will rake some out of our paths, but we mostly leave them alone), and I pull out non-native flora when I can ID it. Leaving outdoor lights off (like porch lights) can help as well, as it allows them to see each other blinking.
