Are Fireflies On The Down In Maine?

No doubt, when you were a kid, you remember there being all kinds of fireflies in the Pine Tree State, but does there seem to be as many today?

I was heading back to the house a few nights ago and noticed a tiny light blinking over my grow pot garden. A firefly. That was the first one I'd seen in a long time.

According to Ben Pfeiffer with firefly.org, fireflies are on the decrease in a multi-faceted way, compared to times when we were younger.

Some of the reasons why we may not see as many of these flies of light in the dark anymore are overuse of pesticides, light pollution (too many outdoor light fixtures), and degradation to their habitats.

How Can We Help The Firefly? 

According to Pfeiffer, there are a few things we can try to do in order to help save the beloved Firefly.

• Install water features in your garden
• Allow logs to rot and plant trees and leafy greenery in your yard
• Turn your lights off at night (Lights can confuse the Firefly when trying to mate)
• Refrain from using lawn chemicals

Pfeiffer also brings out that one of the characteristics of the Firefly is that they are habitat-dependent and picky where they live. This means that Fireflies can suffer when we cause drastic changes in their habitat.

Many are not able to recover when their habitats are destroyed or rearranged.

Do you dig fireflies? Have you noticed that they are not as prolific today as they were in years gone by? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.