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
Firefly Resources & Research
Want to learn more about fireflies? Check out the following resources for news articles, websites, and videos devoted to these fascinating creatures.
Fireflies in the News:
MSNBC.com: Lights
Out? Experts Fear Fireflies Are Dwindling.
Telegraph: Fireflies
In Decline, Experts Say
New York Times: Talking
to Fireflies Before Their Flash Disappears
USAToday.com: Experts
Fear Firefly Populations Are Blinking Out
Earth Science News: Fireflies’
Glow Helps UT Southwestern Researchers Track Cancer Drug’s Effectiveness
ScienceCentric.com: Biologists
Expose Hidden Costs of Firefly Flashes
Websites On Fireflies:
Model of a Firefly Swarm - Wolfram Alpha: This very cool demonstration of swarm modeling math, it is possible to make a somewhat unrealistic model of firefly behavior with the following equations.
FireflyScience.org:
Scientific research and articles on fireflies: their lives, their light,
and scientific applications of firefly chemicals.
Firefly Watch:
Firefly resource site run by the Boston Museum of Science.
The
Firefly Files: Firefly information online sponsored by Ohio State
University.
Tufts
University: Scientific resource on fireflies, covering Nitric Oxide
and the bioscience behind firefly flashes.
National
Geographic: Information on fireflies in the Insects section of National
Geographic’s educational website.
How to
Photograph Fireflies: Informative how-to guide by Terry Priest on
how to photograph fireflies (Photinus pyralis) in flight.
Videos on Fireflies:
The
Science of Summer: Fireflies: Firefly educational video in a series
sponsored by National Geographic.
A very interesting video of a firefly lampyrid beetle larva glowing at
night in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand. Note the brushes on the prolegs.
A good research video on recent experiments revealing the hidden costs
of fireflies' bioluminescent flash signals
A rather entertaining Peugeot car commercial with fireflies.
Close-up video of Firefly flashing.
Fireflies in the Movies & Music:
Fireflies appear in everything from song lyrics such as Owl City - Fireflies song, car commercials, or movies such as Avatar. People's fasination with fireflies extends to all types of media both visual and auditory.
Owl City - Fireflies
Avatar - Fireflies & Bioluminescence in James's Cameron movie Avatar
Essentials Field Guide to Insects
How to Catch Lightning Bugs
Tips on how best to catch lightning bugs or fireflies. | More
Creating Firefly Habitats
What kind of habitat do fireflies like? Why do they like standing water? | More
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