Welcome to the firefly show
Invite fireflies into your green spaces for a summer spectacular

Every summer many travelers visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to witness the annual Firefly light show that takes place in the wilderness there.  But you don't have to travel to the Smoky Mountains to enjoy the annual glow of fireflies. You can witness the show right in your own backyard, or local green spaces.

Growing up, I recall seeing fireflies at night  when we would visit my grandparents cabin on a lake in western Wisconsin. As dusk fell, the fireflies would float upward, blinking, through the tall grasses that lined the dirt road leading to the lake. Like magic!  But time passed, and visits to the cabin dwindled, and summers faded into a grown-up world where magic was distant, and memories even more so.

But several years ago, while living here in the city, with a teeny, tiny backyard, and a little backyard garden, we started seeing fireflies again. We opted not to use pesticides or herbicides of any kind on our lawn or in the garden, which made it possible for the fireflies to flourish. When we finally moved to our current home, with a bit bigger yard, we decided to garden with wildlife in mind. And, so far, it has paid off.

Typically, fireflies emerge for mating season during the month of June.  This year the show in our yard started about the second week of June. It's now the second week of July, and, so far, they are still putting on a show each night, though it peaked about a week or so ago. I took some video of the show. 

A view of the underside of a firefly from inside the window looking out onto our backyard.

A firefly perched on the brick on the outside of our house.

Fireflies are actually beetles, not flies.  There are over 2,000 species of firefly worldwide. They begin their lives in the ground at the base of our lawns and gardens. Pesticides kill them, so avoiding pesticides is crucial for their survival.  To benefit the fireflies, it's also a good idea to keep your grass on the longer side, and leave some taller grass or grasses along the perimeter of your yard. Tall plants, bushes and shrubs are beneficial too, as well as some kind of water source, such as a bird bath.  Artificial light can interfere with their light signals, so keep bright outdoor lights to a minimum during firefly season.

The glow emitted by fireflies is from a chemical reaction within their bodies called biolumenescence. During mating season the males will flash their light as a signal to the females. Females will signal back, and they will continue to signal to each other until they find each other and mate.  The female then lays eggs in the ground, which will eventually become larvae, and then grow to adult fireflies that will repeat the process again in following summers, and continue the show for years to come.

For more interesting facts about fireflies, click here.