How to attract fireflies (it starts with soil in your garden)

Invite fireflies to your garden with basics such as providing healthy soil, maintaining leaf litter, limiting mild pollution, and avoiding pesticides.

If you choose to support healthy ecosystems, the same tips apply. This is whether to support moth, monarch, or other species.

How Gardeners Help Fireflies

Fireflies (also known as Lightning Bugs or Glowworms) are summer night bugs known for their magical flickering lights.

When we talk about fireflies, we actually mention a large group of over 2,400 beetle species in the Rampyridae family. They live on all continents except Antarctica, and their appearance and behavior vary widely.

In recent decades, fireflies appear to be declining due to problems such as habitat loss, pesticide use, and increased artificial light at night, affecting countless other species as well.

As a positive note, there are things you can do to support their lifecycle in our garden, and the best tips under our feet will begin as you see.

I’m happy to say that the firefly population in our garden has been increasing dramatically in recent years.

We never used backyard lighting (light contamination destroys nocturnal animals) or pesticides, but after all we had to go all-in through the soundless gardening and avoid walking in the garden bed (unless absolutely necessary), we flashed dozens or hundreds of firefighters at night during mating season.

This increase could match, but given all the benefits of gardening like this, I won’t change things.

1Avoid pesticides completely

Avoiding pesticides and herbicides is undoubtedly the most important thing you can do to support biodiversity in any garden.

Pesticides and herbicides directly and indirectly threaten fireflies.

Direct toxicity to larvae or adults. Kills the prey that the larvae eat (slugs and worms, etc.).

Even so-called “natural” solutions like Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI), which is used to control mosquitoes, are considered “not harmful” because data is not limited. Use fireflies as an example: With over 2,400 species worldwide, there is little or no data on how BTI (or other products) will affect them.

2Leave the leaves (and a bit confusing)

Like a butterfly, fireflies experience a complete metamorphosis:

Egg → Larva → Pup → Adult

Adults live in just 2-4 weeks, while larvae live in soil or leaf trash several months or two years before that, making the early stages of life the most important.

Firefly larvae thrive in wet, unobstructed environments, such as those under fallen leaves, leaf-shaped, or under leaves that are tucked into rotten logs.

3Turn off the light (or dim)

Nighttime light pollution is destructive for countless nocturnal animals.

Fireflies rely on the darkness to communicate using light signals for mating.

Light contamination disrupts the ability to see and transmit these signals, even at low levels.

Limit outdoor lighting to essentials and use bulbs recommended by wildlife conservationists.
You can find specific tips here. Even red lights, which are sometimes sold as “Firefly-Frendly,” have been shown to inhibit firefly signals. If you want a light, dim it, focus it, and point it downward. A timer or motion sensor can help you save just how much time. Provides shade. Cultivating a diverse selection of trees, shrubs and grapes not only provides food and habitat for wildlife, but larger plants can cast shadows and block light from nearby homes and patios.

4Don’t dig in unless you need it

We’ve all heard of “no-dig” gardening, where gardeners found it beneficial for them to get the soil in as much of a way as possible. Yes, of course, we dig into planting plants, but older routines like cultivation for cultivation are not needed before sowing.

The longest part of the fireflies’ life cycle is the larval stage, which is spent in the soil or surrounded by leaf trash.

This makes them vulnerable to excavation, cultivation, or other interference.

Switch to NO-DIG or low-capacity gardening methods. Not only is it better for wildlife, it saves time and energy.

Not all fireflies flash the same way

Depending on where you live, the Firefly display can have a very different flicker and glow.

Random flashes scattered on summer nights are common in eastern North America. However, in some unusual regions, such as Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain, special species (Photinus carolinus) perform a synchronized flash show, with thousands of fireflies lit up at once. This spectacular display attracts visitors from all over the world. It is extremely popular and operates a lottery system each year for the opportunity to witness the event in person.

Several other species, including those found in western North America and parts of Europe, do not flash at all as adults. Instead, they rely on chemical signals (pheromones) to find companions. In other words, you may have fireflies in your garden without knowing it.

summary

If you want to support fireflies in your garden, start by creating the right habitat. These light-producing beetles rely on dark sky, damp soil and pesticide-free environments to complete their long life cycle.

Here’s what a gardener can do:

Learn what you live in your area, know what you expect and how to best protect them. “Natural” pesticides and herbicides should avoid all pesticides and herbicides to protect both adult fireflies and prey that larvae feed. Leave the leaves and allow rotten organic matter to stay in the unobstructed horns of the garden. Reduce artificial lighting at night, especially during mating season. Limit soil disorders by practicing No Dig Gardening and frequently practicing mowing. Plant a variety of trees and shrubs to create a microclimate rich in shade and moisture.

These small changes can make a huge difference. Over time, you may be rewarded with the soft flickering of fireflies illuminating the garden.

resource

listen

In this episode, you will explore the world of fireflies. Over 2400 identified species, there are interesting variations including when (and why) sparkle and evolutionary adaptations.

Other tips

~Melissa Empress of the Defiled