fireflies

Who knew that by being lazy with yard work, I was doing the right thing all along. I do see fireflies out back during the summer. I thought it was just that we live fairly close to the edge of town.

Nature is best cared for by leaving it the fuck alone.
- Other than the forest fire prevention that native Americans used to perform, I would agree.

Okay scientists, is this for real? Would leaving leaves out help with the fireflies, because they really are rare.

Yeah, leaving leaf coverage is great for all kinds of larvae. Leaving them alone also slows weeds from growing and as the leaves break down they fertilize the soil.
The modern problem is that there are not enough critters roaming around to naturally step on foliage to break them down.
- Send the kids to play outside, easy
- So some sort of cylinder with animal feet attached, I drag it over the yard a couple times through the fall and winter?
- Last year I hit my front yard with the mower on the highest setting to just crunch leaves a tad and take down the weeds a bit. I laid down red clover which I sort f regret, but it's able to be tall enough to poke through the leaves.
I think it depends on the species. Also, most species have non-flying females.

Around here they made a comeback in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic. The reason why was they stopped spraying the forests for pine beetles. It was noticeable and now its back to nearly nothing. Its poisen. Nothing more, nothing less. The fireflies die so some undeserving investor gets more money.

Same for ladybird beetles (ladybugs)! They love undisturbed autumn leaves and are natural pest control, so you should give them any opportunity possible to over-winter their eggs in your yard :)

The sprays really kill them. The fireflies will not cross into my neighbors’ lawns, where they treat their grass.

Your neighbor does what with their grass?
- Spray shit on it to kill the dandelions.

I'm doing my part. Haven't raked leaves in at least 20 years.

Me neither!
... Although I live in a desert and haven't seen fireflies anywhere else in ages... Lol

They were when I was a kid. I haven’t seen them in a long time now though :(
- Flying insects in general. When I was a kid I remember so many people's cars being absolutely caked with dead bugs. It's not something I see anymore.
Each summer evening, from dusk till about an hour after sunset, my yard is full of them. By late afternoon, if you look along and underside of folliage adjacent to open areas you can find them ready for the evening. They have a little dance, the steps of which aren't followed too closely. Let's see if I can remember it. They stay about 40 cm of the ground and fly up to about 2 meters up. After reaching the apex of their flight they flash their butts, and then proceed downward and slightly forward in a jerking stair-step pattern. The entire time flashing a repeated sequence of flashes the same color as a yellow glow stick. They so this from late spring through summer.
Depends on the area, the US is big. It's been a while since I've been but some areas of Ohio had tons of them every night. I've never seen any in the Pacific northwest though. But even that's a pretty broad region could be some around here I don't know about
I saw so many growing up in Appalachia!
European here, stopped seeing them at the end of 90s, before they were so common, even in city
I've seen them in the mountains or more wild areas multiple times, both in eastern and western Europe. You have to be outside during the night so most likely camping.
I'm from Switzerland and I've seen them here once. They weren't flying though, only sitting next to a foot path. At first I thought they were just some green/yellow LEDs.
Awww, that's sad! There are plenty here in the region in Italy.
Extremely common here in NJ. I mean less so because exactly what this comic shows. It's why I don't rake leaves and leave them under the hedges. Not because I'm lazy.
See some still in Kansas. My grandparents in Wichita used to have tons of them about 35 years ago; not as many now. Right time of year you'll still generally see 2-5 at a time in our yard.
Yeah in the warmer regions of North America and I think across the pacific as well.
I used to have a rural property that bordered on a nature preserve. There were so many fireflies you could walk through the forest on a moonless night without a flashlight.
Yup! I live in Pennsylvania & I see loads of them every summer.
Only time I’ve seen them was in the suburbs around Chicago.
I see them in my backyard during the summer. It just sort of depends on the area you're in.

Now let's talk about the Kentucky bluegrass lawns the leaves fall on...

Grub killers like Grub-x kill firefly larva as collateral damage. The thing is firefly grubs eat other grubs so if you made your area nicer to fireflies you wouldn't need the grub killer.

I thought only the males lit up? Not judging, but egg laying might pose a problem.

It's both. It's a beautiful little call and response like system they have evolved to do. Typically the males will light up while they are flying and the females light up on the ground. There are some species that are predatory though and will mimic and use the lights to hunt the others.
skill issue