Tips
Viewing fireflies can make for memorable experiences! For best firefly viewing:
​
-
Avoid bug spray if possible (fireflies are insects too after all!) or heavy perfume/cologne
-
Avoid shining lights at the fireflies (as this may interfere with their ability to find mates)
-
Enjoy yourself!
Lights
Although there are many places in West Virginia that are far from cities, we are not quite exempt from light pollution as you might expect. Street lights, car headlights, and dusk to dawn lights can all contribute to light pollution. Fireflies depend on darkness in order to mate! If they are unable to see each other's flashes, mating may not occur. While obviously, we can’t avoid street lights and car headlights for safety reasons, we can make compromises with the kind of lights we have. For instance, we can choose to use downward directed lights for street lighting and outside the house lights. Downward facing lighting helps to avoid light from spilling into the sky, and therefore from greatly interfering with fireflies and other nighttime critters that rely upon the dark. Here is a graphic of good vs bad lighting:
Graphic from NASA’s Night Sky Network webpage, found here: https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/download-view.cfm?Doc_ID=683
The International Dark Sky Association also recommends that lights be on only when needed, only light the area that needs to be lit, ensure that lights are not brighter than necessary, and to minimize the use of blue light. You can find more information about the basics of outdoor lighting here: https://www.darksky.org/our-work/lighting/lighting-for-citizens/lighting-basics/
Lawns
It can be tempting to have a lush homogenous green lawn. Although many of us strive for this look, carefully manicured lawns are not that hospitable towards fireflies and other wildlife. Keeping the grass short and using pesticides are just a couple of ways to drive fireflies away from your yard. They prefer areas with taller grasses where they can roam and hide.
​
If you want to create a magical summer evening atmosphere, here are just a few simple things you can do:
-
Go longer between grass cuts in the summer
-
Limit the use of pesticides
-
Plant native grasses and shrubs
-
Reduce bright yard lighting
​
If you want to attract fireflies to your yard, here are some sources you may find helpful!
​
You can even make your yard/property certified firefly habitat! If you are interested, check this out: https://www.firefly.org/certify/