Firefly Sightings
- Catching fireflies is an important part of summer.
- Help us track where people are seeing fireflies in their backyard.
- Submit your sightings on the map and connect with others who spotted fireflies in your area.
Submit Your sightings
Common Names for Fireflies
A firefly by any other name would still glow as brightly. But fireflies are a numerous and prolific species living all over the world, and they’re well-known in hundreds of different cultures. Because of this, they’re called by many common names. Here are just a few of the many names of fireflies.
Firefly
Firefly Beetle
Glow Worm: British word, sometimes used to refer to firefly
larvae.
Glow Fly
Moon Bug
Lightning Bug
Golden Sparkler
Hotaru: The Japanese word for firefly.
Big Dipper
Blinkie: Jamaican term.
Minna-Minni: This is a Malayalam word for firefly. Malayalam
(ma-la-yaa-lam) is the official language of the state of Kerala in India.
Kerala is situated in the western peninsular tip of southern India.
Luciérnaga: The Spanish (spoken) word for firefly.
Laga-Lume: Portuguese word for firefly.
Kelip-Kelip: (congregating firefly) in the Malay language
in Malaysia.
Kunang-Kunang: (mostly for solitary firefly) or api-api
in the Malay language in Malaysia.
Leuchtkäfer: German
Luciole: French
светлячок Russian
Glimworm: Dutch
Lucciola: Italian
ホタル Japanese
개똥벌레 Korean
螢火蟲 Chinese (traditional)
萤火虫 Chinese (simplified)
Hing Hoy The vernacular name for fireflies in Thai language
גחלילית of Gakhlilit: Hebrew word for firefly
Got a unique name for fireflies, or know their name in another language? Tell us about it! Submit it here, and we’ll put it up on our site.
Fun Fact:Aztecs
The Aztecs used the name for firefly metaphorically, meaning a spark of knowledge in a world of ignorance or darkness
Firefly Myth:Chinese
The chinese thought that twinkling little beetles came from when you burned grass.
Fun Fact:American Indians
Native American Indians collected fireflies and smeared them as decorations on their faces and chest.
Firefly Myth:Europeans
An old european legend warned that if a lightning bug flew in the window, someone was going to die.
Share Your Firefly Story
This is the place to tell us how you brought fireflies back in your yard. | More
How to Help Fireflies
There are a few things you could do to help to restore fireflies in your backyard | More