Resources and Links
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Quick guide to the fireflies of WV​
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Please check out our free, downloadable PDF to the fireflies of West Virginia. If you would like to get in contact with us about any fireflies you see, our email is westvirginiafireflies@gmail.com.
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WV Division of Natural Resources Community Science Firefly Survey Opportunity
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Keep an eye out: this survey is relaunching in spring 2026! Previous years of the WVDNR firefly community science surveys focused on synchronous fireflies, fireflies on state parks, and discovering new observations of any firefly species. However, in 2026, the WVDNR is going to focus on the elusive "blue ghost" firefly. The WVDNR would like you to report any and all observations of your "ghostly" encounters.
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Use this link to check for updates: https://wvdnr.gov/plants-animals/surveys/fireflies/
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Web resources and links:
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Firefly Atlas
Ever wanted to conduct your own firefly survey? The Xerces Society working in collaboration with the with the IUCN SSC Firefly Specialist Group and New Mexico BioPark Society have put forth the Firefly Atlas (linked). They have put together resources for conducting your very own firefly survey using their methodology in order to gather more information about the distribution of North American fireflies.
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Wonderful resource for all things firefly! Check out their nifty t-shirts and consider making your tard/property Certified Firefly Habitat!
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You can post to this website if you are lucky enough to snap a picture of a firefly, or see other peoples’ firefly observations! Firefly observations are only a small part of iNaturalist observations, check out your other taxonomic groups of interest on iNaturalist too!
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Dark Sky International
If you would like to start making changes to help fireflies but are not sure where to begin, check out Dark Sky International (https://darksky.org/). This is not an organization specifically geared towards fireflies, but rather one focused on tackling light pollution, a source of stress for our firefly friends.
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Consider making your yard a WVDNR "Wild Yard" and/or a Firefly.org "Certified Firefly Habitat"​
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Additional reading:​
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Fireflies, Glowworms and Lighting Bugs by Lynn Frierson Faust
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Silent Sparks: The Wonderous World of Fireflies by Sara Lewis
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State of the Fireflies of the United States and Canada: Distributions, Threats, and Conservation Recommendations by Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Linked here: https://xerces.org/publications/scientific-reports/state-of-fireflies-of-united-states-and-canada
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Frantz, M.W., V.T. Spaid, K.L. Noe, C.M. Heckscher. 2024. Rediscovery of Photuris potomaca Barber (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) with an Update on Morphology, Flash Pattern, and Habitat Associations. The Coleopterists Bulletin, 78(3), 371-378. https://doi.org/10.1649/0010-065X-78.3.371
A species was rediscovered in WV!​
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Pennsylvania Firefly Festival
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Are you looking for a firefly viewing party? Check out the Pennsylvania Firefly Festival (PAFF) and sign up for their newsletter.