Colorado Fireflies
One of my favorite memories as a child in Missouri was catching fireflies on summer nights. It’s something I’ve missed since moving to Colorado. But, I recently learned that Colorado does have a few species of native fireflies - they’re just pretty hard to find.
Photo Credit: Jessica Lucia, Flickr
A few colleagues told me about a place outside Fort Collins they have seen fireflies, and I unfortunately haven’t made it back up there in the summer to look for them. But recently, entomologists with the Butterfly Pavilion collected fifty fireflies in an undisclosed location in Larimer County to study and raise new generations of the insect.
"The amount of care to perfect raising fireflies was a learning experience. It's the composition of the soil, special food mixture, humidity and temperature. But we did it to help zoos, aquariums and others to restore fireflies in the wild…
If everything goes well back in the pavilion lab, about two years later a new generation of fireflies will emerge, furthering the critical work that fireflies provide as canaries in the coal mine for water quality.”
Cori Brant, Manager of Entomology, Butterfly Pavilion
Other scientists have been studying Colorado’s fireflies, too - Owen Martin and Orit Peleg (CU Boulder) have been studying firefly flashing patterns, while Tristan Darwin Kubik (CSU) has been studying firefly populations and natural history.
There are 14 known species of fireflies in Colorado (some listed in the table below) and they have been observed across many parts of the state.
Find accessible text for this table here.
Table Credit: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University
Research from Colorado universities and institutions might provide insight into why fireflies live in some parts of the state, but not others; additionally, this work might shed more light on conservation actions to protect this species.
Fireflies are an “indicator species,” meaning that the health of their population reflects the health of their habitat. Therefore, a “decline in fireflies is an indicator of environmental decline,” according to Brant.
Land use change and loss of habitat;
Pollution and pesticide use that harms firefly larvae and prey; and
Climate change.
Photo Credit: Katja Schulz, Wikimedia Commons
How Can We Help?
Turn off the lights. Research shows that human light population can interfere with fireflies’ flashes, which is their method of communication with each other. Keeping the lights off at night can help keep fireflies’ signals visible to one another - and can save energy, too.
Don’t use pesticides. These chemicals are destructive to a huge range of insects, including firefly larvae; in addition, fireflies consume many “pest” species of insects, exposing them to pesticides in their prey. However, if you choose not to use pesticides, firefly larvae will likely experience higher survival rates and they will act as a natural “pest control,” reducing the need for pesticides anyway.
Cut out lawns. Firefly larvae need places to grow, and they prefer logs, leaf litter, and long grasses. Stop mowing and raking; let logs or leaf litter accumulate; and incorporate a variety of native plants and grasses into your lawn to give fireflies (and other insects) a place to live for all their life stages. For more information on lawns - and ideas for alternative landscaping - check out this post.
And, if you do go looking for fireflies in Colorado, please, please stay on the trails to preserve their fragile habitats! And prepare for LOTS of mosquitoes, who enjoy marshes and wetlands just as much as fireflies.
More Resources
Yup, there’s an Ologies episode about fireflies - “Sparklebuttology” with host Alie Ward and guest expert Dr. Sara Lewis is one of my all-time favorites! Dr. Lewis’ book about fireflies, Silent Sparks, is also on my reading list.
Explore more ways to support firefly populations, including building a firefly habitat (in some regions) or recording firefly sightings to help scientists study them.
Learn more about fireflies and encourage your neighbors to get involved in conservation efforts.
Catch up on The Butterfly Pavilion’s Firefly Life Cycle Project and submit information about firefly sightings to help scientists learn more about their populations.
