Articles by Sandy - Chasing Fireflies
Do you ever look out your window on a warm summer evening and see tiny flashes of light start to flicker in your yard? At first there are just a few, but soon hundreds of blinking lights are floating around. The fireflies have come out for the evening. It’s magical. I have always loved watching fireflies or lightning bugs as we called them as kids. I can remember as a kid we’d chase them, trying to catch them in a net then put them in a jar with vent holes in the cover. We’d watch them light up as we sat in the dark with our jar of “lightning bugs” thinking it was the coolest thing ever and then after a while we’d set them free again. A great childhood memory of something so simple and yet so magical. I still love to sit in my backyard and watch the fireflies put on a good display. Lately, my backyard has been full of them. Even my dog Fletcher loves to chase fireflies and try to catch them. I could not figure out one night what he was doing when he would run a little ways and then bite at the air around him. Finally I noticed he was biting at the light from a firefly. It made me laugh and sort of feel like I was in a Disney movie or something. Fireflies just seem very magical to me. They bring back lots of childhood memories of playing in the yard on a summer night with the neighbor kids.
The firefly or lightning bug, is a fascinating creature. Fireflies are found on every continent except Antartica. They live throughout the United States and are most commonly seen on hot summer evenings in parks, meadows, gardens and wooded areas. It is estimated that there are over 2,000 species of firefly worldwide with approximately 146 species in North America with more species being discovered all the time. None of these species are actually flies however, they are beetles.
Fireflies are surprisingly very important to the environment. Their larvae feed on garden pests, like slugs, snails, and grubs, and keep flower and vegetable beds naturally pest-free. Adult fireflies also eat pollen and nectar and are very efficient pollinators benefiting many flowering plants. They have a very short lifespan. Adult fireflies only live for about a month. Its primary goal is to find a mate and reproduce so it can start the next cycle of fireflies. One reason fireflies glow is to attract a mate. Each firefly species has its own specific light pattern so that males and females of the same species will recognize each other and “talk” to each other by using a sequence of blinking lights. Another reason they glow is to avoid predators. Fireflies have a nasty-tasting chemical in them and once a predator gets a mouthful it quickly learns to associate the firefly’s glow with this bad taste. Except for my dog Fletcher, he hasn’t figured that out yet, he continues to try to catch them in his mouth.
While fireflies are cherished in many areas their population is also declining. Fewer and fewer are seen each year. Although it is estimated that one in three species of fireflies may be at risk of extinction, fireflies receive little conservation attention. Fireflies face a variety of threats, from habitat loss, light pollution, pesticide use, climate change, poor water quality and invasive species. What can we do to help the firefly population? Turn out your outside lights at night! Lights at night confuse fireflies and interfere with their attempts to signal and communicate with each other. Provide habitat! Set aside a part of your yard or garden where you can let things get a little “wild” with native grasses and wildflowers. You can also place bags of wet leaf compost in a shady spot which will attract snails, slugs and other insects which is food for firefly larvae. Avoid pesticides! Pesticides kill fireflies and degrade their habitat.
Who knew that a firefly was more than just a fun bug we chased as kids? Firefies are another one of God’s amazing creations in nature. This tiny creature provides an important role to our environment along with the added bonus of some great childhood memories. We need to be good stewards of nature and all of its creatures. Just like bees, we need to protect the fireflies. There’s something very mesmerizing about watching a good firefly display. Fireflies bring me a feeling of nostalgia, of carefree times as a kid. The simple joy of chasing a magic light up bug. I hope you have the opportunity this summer to sit in the quiet darkness of nature and enjoy a magical firefly display that brings back childhood memories for you as well. – Sandy Vesledahl, Office Administrator
Side note: August is National dog Month (although it’s always National Dog Month at my house). Give those dogs some extra love this month! There’s always a bag of dog treats in my desk for any special visitors to the church office.