Fireflies are indeed in Florida; you just have to know where to find them. Fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, avoid areas with high volumes of artificial lights and lots of urban development. In this episode of Naturally Florida, we’ll be discussing the lifecycle and conservation of fireflies in Florida.

Learn more:

• Where to find fireflies in Florida: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/polkco/2021/06/05/where-to-find-florida-fireflies/ 
• Learn more about the current status of fireflies in the US and Canada: https://xerces.org/blog/status-of-fireflies-in-the-united-states-and-canada 

How You Can Help:

• Add habitat to your yard or neighborhood. Consider adding native shrubs or small trees and changing part of your yard from lawn to Florida-Friendly Landscaping to provide habitat for a variety of small critters. Learn more here: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/polkco/2021/06/12/how-to-create-a-firefly-oasis/
• Help us document their presence. You don't need to identify species with a microscope to help, consider submitting citizen science reports to Firefly Watch! You can learn more here: https://www.massaudubon.org/get-involved/community-science/firefly-watch/getting-started

Sources for this Episode:

• Faust, L. (2017). Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs. University of Georgia Press. 39-168 Available nationwide at a book retailer near you!
• The National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). Fireflies. https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Fireflies
• Firefly Conservation Research. (2021). Disappearing Fireflies. https://www.firefly.org/why-arefireflies-disappearing.html
• University of Florida IFAS Extension. (n.d.). How to Attract Fireflies for Homeowners.  http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/images/fireflies-graphic.pdf

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy learning about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here!

If you're active on iNaturalist, consider joining our iNaturalist project, Naturally Florida's Listener Observations, here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/naturally-florida-s-listener-observations