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shows a nighttime wood land with lite up streaks crossing the woods that are fireflies

Photo: Xerces Society

Firefly Sanctuary Project

WHY DO WE NEED FIREFLYS ?

Do Fireflies just light up the summer nights?  Or is there more? 

Fireflies aren’t flies at all… 

They are actually beetles.  

Here in Connecticut, we have over 16 different species of fireflies that are vital indicators of the health of the environment. Fireflies lay eggs in the leafy forest floor.  The larvae of a firefly lives in this layer of leafy matter for up to 2 years.  The larvae help to keep the soil loose so air, sunlight and oxygen can penetrate the soil for other creatures.   Firefly larvae have a large appetite, especially for slugs and snails, which are often garden pests.  The fireflies keep these and other insects in balance.  

There are several new environmental and human factors which are threats to fireflies.  The use of insecticides to control mosquitoes or ticks is incidentally killing fireflies.  The invasive jumping worm destroys the moist forest leaf litter which the firefly larvae need to survive.  Although fireflies eat earthworms, the invasive jumping worm is difficult for them to eat due to speed and habitat destruction. 

Love Is In The Air

The magic of the night is in the dance of the firefly. Do you remember those warm summer nights when the flashing just seemed to come out of nowhere?

Male fireflies emit a distinct pattern of flashes to communicate their species and to attract a female. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. The organization lists 19 different species of fireflies in Ct. Some have single, some double, and some triple Flash Patterns.

Fireflies need dark skies, clean water, a food source, shelter and protection from pesticides.

Currently the Winchester land Trust is monitoring several of our preserved areas to determine which may be suitable for establishing a firefly sanctuary.

Firefly’s need our help, and we need their magic