On a hot summer’s night, you might spot pinprick flashes of light among the grass. Could these be fairies? A second look reveals something almost as magical– fireflies!
This year, July 6 is World Firefly Day. To mark the occasion, we’ll be sharing some interesting information about fireflies, ways to help keep their light shining, a contest, and our upcoming Firefly Nursery conservation project!
Some cool facts about fireflies…
Fireflies spend most of their lives as larvae, living in leaf litter and munching on soft invertebrates such as slugs, snails and worms. But once a year, they emerge as adults to perform a dazzling dance in the sky and find a mate. Males fly about and display their blinking lights, while the females watch from the grass and flash back if they like what they see.
Unfortunately, it appears that fireflies are under threat. 14% of species in North America are threatened with extinction and 53% of species have unknown status due to lack of research. A combination of increased artificial light, use of pesticides, climate change, and shrinking habitats is extinguishing the lights of fireflies worldwide.
Green Venture’s Firefly Nursery project
Firefly larvae need the moist, protected habitats created by leaf litter left on the ground in fall. But oftentimes, this precious habitat is raked up and swept away.
Green Venture’s Firefly Nursery is a designed spot on EcoHouse’s property where we leave the leaves for fireflies to use as habitat. By creating a protective spot, we hope to increase firefly abundance and educate our community about insect conservation.
The Firefly Nursery is located in the corner of EcoHouse property on Veevers Road near our very impressive Black Walnut Tree. The current plan is to have a rope fence installed by early August, and to ask visitors to leave the Nursery undisturbed. You are very much welcome to visit and say hi to the fireflies!
Firefly Haiku Contest
To celebrate our firefly nursery, we are holding a haiku writing contest. We would love to hear your thoughts on these charismatic bugs shared in poetry! The winner of the contest will win a houseplant and have their haiku featured on our Firefly Nursery sign.
What is a haiku?
A haiku is a traditional Japanese style of poetry that follows a particular syllable pattern. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7, and the third line has 5. To learn more and see examples, check out this resource from poets.org: https://poets.org/glossary/haiku
How can I submit my poem?
Our contest is open July 6-July 20. You can submit your poem through our form: https://forms.gle/NdGtLNBkfUy8Hart6
How you can help firefly conservation efforts
- Leaving leaf litter on the ground
- We can’t say this enough: LEAVE THE LEAVES! Since fireflies spend most of their lifespan as larvae, larval habitat is especially important to their survival. Leaving undisturbed ground helps to provide food and habitat for future fireflies.
- Reducing light pollution
- Artificial light reduces the mating success of fireflies, because it confuses their iconic flashing courtship signals. Consider replacing your outdoor lights with red ones (shown to not impact fireflies as greatly as other colours of light) and advocating for Dark Sky initiatives in your community
- Limiting use of insecticides
- Insecticides, while often targeted at destructive insects, harm non-target organisms as well. Both fireflies and their food sources can be the victims of pesticides and insecticides
- Advocating
- The most important type of habitat for fireflies are wetlands! You can help fireflies by saying “no” to urban sprawl, greenbelt reductions and projects that pave over wetlands
- Community science
- Fireflyers International Network on iNaturalist
- Record firefly observations and help scientists paint a global picture of firefly heath and abundance
- https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fireflyers-international
- Xerces Society Firefly Atlas
- Conduct firefly surveys to help conservation efforts and scientific studies
- https://www.fireflyatlas.org/
- Fireflyers International Network on iNaturalist
Closing Thoughts
Green Venture’s Firefly Nursery will be opening at the beginning of August, where we will be revealing the winner of our Haiku Contest. We encourage you to spend some time today reflecting on the importance of these fascinating little insects, and how you can help insect conservation. Happy World Firefly Day!
