Fireflies

Photo by Matt MacGillivray on Flickr

Photinus pyralis

Well, friends, it finally happened. After almost 45 years of life, I saw a Firefly for the first time! In fact, I saw a whole bunch of them.

I was cleaning up after an event at Sunset Zoo, and my boss came up to me and asked, “Did you see them?” He said there were fireflies all over the cheetah habitat. His lovely wife, Marla, took me over to where they had seen them, and we waited. And then suddenly, one little flash. And then another. And then another. And soon, it seemed like they were everywhere, ethereal little lights floating in the night sky. They reminded me of embers from a campfire, shining for a moment before disappearing. I’ll admit, I teared up. I realize people who grew up in areas where Fireflies live take them for granted as a part of summer, but for me, this was something truly special.

It turns out, no one should be taking Fireflies for granted, as their numbers are declining at great rates. This is due to a number of factors, including habitat loss, pesticide use, and light pollution. If it is too bright at night for them to see a potential mate’s flashes, they can’t make the next generation of fireflies. The facility where I used to work is breeding them to try and help restore their population. Much more research needs to be done on these luminary insects.

I think the species I saw was the Big Dipper or Photinus pyralis, and this is just judging by the color and length of each flash and the time between them. I was never able to see an insect up close. They are apparently the most widespread firefly in North America, so there is a good chance this was my species. They are often seen in years, meadows, and pastures, so a cheetah habitat is not a great leap.
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I think I’m addicted now. I want to see more! I want to see other species – different colors and flash patterns! If you can’t find me some evening, I’m probably out wandering a field somewhere searching for Fireflies!

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