Over the past weeks with the warm and humid nights we have been seeing more and more fireflies starting to light up the landscape and we hope you have too! Unfortunately in many places they are no longer as common due to the impacts of development that include light pollution, loss of habitat and the use of pesticides. We are always amazed at what we miss out on by not experiencing nature at night. Not only is there a whole expanse of glowing lights above us (how often do you stop to enjoy the stars?) but there are sometimes ones right by our feet. While walking through the dark grass with our flashlights off we sometimes notice tiny dashes of bioluminescence. Upon closer inspection we’ve found dozens of firefly larvae moving about and hunting for prey. While not as iconic and “cute” as their adult form that we all know so well, these young beetles will one day morph into the flying beacons of light we all love so much. By keeping leaf litter and debris piles on our properties we can help these larvae overwinter and have a chance to illuminate our hearts and imaginations the following year.
