Find the Fireflies
Stewardship in a Changing World
Helping fireflies does not mean removing people from the landscape. It means learning how to live in it more thoughtfully.
I hear it all the time: “We used to have so many fireflies. Now there’s almost none.”
We often forget that we’re sharing this land with hidden creatures that only appear for a few weeks each year, at night, when most of us aren’t even looking. Making room for them again doesn’t mean giving up the places we live or the things we need. It may just mean becoming a little more aware of what is happening around us.
Fireflies depend on conditions we don’t always think about. Artificial light can interfere with the signals they use to find each other. Bare, frequently mowed, or heavily treated ground can leave their larvae with fewer places to live.
The problem isn’t the road, the house, or the porch light. And it certainly isn’t the people using them. People need homes, roads, power, technology, and food. None of that is going away, nor should it. People belong on this landscape too. What most of us haven’t been taught is how small decisions can affect the ecosystems around us.
So, the answer isn’t to stop building, inventing, or creating. It’s to become more thoughtful about how we do those things.
Likewise, technology itself isn’t the enemy. Nearly every tool we use comes with benefits, tradeoffs, and consequences we learn more about over time. Stewardship means paying attention to those consequences and adjusting when we can.
Fireflies can tell us something important about the landscape.
“Fireflies declining is just a symptom.”
“Fireflies are an indicator species, meaning that if there is a healthy environment they will thrive. The loss people are noticing is a symptom of the loss of stewardship of the land.”
Christine Gambino, LSU AgCenter
When fireflies become harder to find, changes may already be happening in the soil, darkness, moisture, vegetation, or leaf litter around them.
The encouraging part is that stewardship is often much simpler than people expect. Small changes can make a meaningful difference.
Practical stewardship
Small changes can leave more room for fireflies.
Leave some areas darker.
Not every outdoor light needs to stay on all night. Motion sensors and timers can still provide light when people need it while allowing darkness to return when they don’t.
Leave a little mess.
Leaf litter, an unmowed edge, or a brush pile in the corner of the yard can provide valuable habitat for fireflies and many other small creatures. As a bonus, it can mean less yard work.
Plant some native plants.
Vegetation gives adult fireflies places to rest and helps create the shaded, humid conditions many species use. Native plants also support the larger web of insects and other organisms that share the same habitat.
Use fewer chemicals.
When treatment is necessary, targeting the actual problem can often accomplish more than routinely treating the entire yard.
Keep some wet or wooded areas.
Wetlands, woodland edges, and low areas can support an enormous amount of life. They don’t have to be cleared or manicured to have value. Sometimes the wildest corners of a property are also the most beautiful.
Ask questions before you build or clear.
What already lives here? Where does the water move? Which areas stay shaded, damp, or dark? A little awareness beforehand can help us make choices that work for both people and the landscape.
Taken together, these are small choices, but they can add up.
People are always asking what they can do to help. That’s one reason we built Find the Fireflies.
We aren’t asking people to stop living their lives or turn their yards into nature preserves. We’re trying to help people notice what may already be there—and showing them how a few thoughtful choices can leave room for fireflies too.
Ultimately, we cannot remove people from the landscape, and we shouldn’t want to.
What we can do is become better stewards of the places we already call home.
That is something ordinary people can do, one yard, one property, and one small decision at a time.
Support the Work
Help Find the Fireflies grow.
The “I Don’t See Fireflies Anymore” Kickstarter is helping support educational resources, outreach, and the practical tools used to help people find, understand, and care for fireflies.
Visit the KickstarterPut it into practice
Find what you need.
A few good resources can make the next step easier.
Find Native Plants
Native plants can help create shade, shelter, humidity, and a more varied habitat while supporting the broader web of insects and wildlife around them.
American Meadows offers a large selection of native perennial plants that can be filtered and explored by growing conditions and region.
Browse Native PlantsChoose Better Outdoor Lighting
Outdoor lighting does not have to disappear to become more firefly-friendly. Shielding light downward and using motion-activated fixtures can reduce unnecessary light spill while still providing illumination when people need it.
Leave a little room for the lights.
Learn more about simple ways to help fireflies where you live.