Anonymous wrote:I just read yesterday that fireflies spend two years in the ground as larvae. So using any lawn chemicals to target grubs, as well as mosquito spraying, will do them in.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/seeing-fewer-fireflies-in-your-yard-you-might-be-doing-things-that-harm-them/2016/07/05/325183f8-3e48-11e6-a66f-aa6c1883b6b1_story.html?utm_term=.ebd53991453a

We definitely have fewer fireflies than we used to.

I hope what I use-- milky spore-- doesn't affect the fireflies. I have read it only affects grubs; I hope that's true!

Yes! I have been loving them in our neighborhood. I was out running an errand after dark the other night and just sat in my car soaking them in for 5 min before heading inside (so I wouldn't get eaten alive by mosquitoes!). Also, when googling fireflies and gloaming I got an IMDB listing for a $2K (e.g. low budget) movie https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6570362/ -- not sure if it's available to see, but now I'm curious!

There were so many out the other night it looked like the trees and bushes had Christmas lights strung on them. So beautiful.

Nope. I can't view them without being attacked alive by swarms of mosquitoes.

I have seen zero this year.

We had what seemed like over a hundred lighting bugs in our yard a couple days ago. It was absolutely beautiful.

No lawn chemicals or pesticides used, and purchased the house from an old couple who didn't use them either. Fortunately our neighbors don't care about having a perfect yard either!

I just stepped outside to make a phone call and audibly gasped while on the phone when I realized how many there were. It was pure magic. I used to catch them as a kid, but it was never as many as what I just saw. I posted earlier in the thread and hadn't seen any yet, but they have arrived!

We have a tiny postage stamp yard in our DC rowhome. We have a beautiful Japanese maple and shade garden that I lovingly tend to each spring. Lots of fireflies in our tiny lot. Caught one in a mason jar and the kids enjoyed seeing it light up and then we thanked it for its magic and let it go back into the night.

It was a beautiful night for fireflies tonight. We sat on the deck watching them for a long time.

My yard is glowing! Happy summer everyone.

Anonymous wrote:We used to call them lightning bugs. Too bad the chemicals have killed them off. What can we do to improve the situation so kids can enjoy them in the future? They really are magical.

All that's needed is for everyone to be ok with having a semi-weedy, imperfect yard. Broad spectrum pesticides for killing lawn grubs and other insects kill off the firefly larvae in the turf.

Perfect yards = fewer/no fireflies

We don't use lawn pesticides or herbicides, and we have tons of them. And a sorta-ugly yard.

That is a beautiful title for a book.

We used to call them lightning bugs. Too bad the chemicals have killed them off. What can we do to improve the situation so kids can enjoy them in the future? They really are magical.

Nice thread title, maybe it will inspire more poetic thread titles.

My puppy saw his first firefly tonight. It flew right in front of his nose, and he was so surprised he didn't even try to eat it!

Thank goodness the bunnies as fast, however.