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re: The lightning bugs are back

Posted on 7/24/26 at 5:12 am to
Posted by FLObserver
Jacksonville
Member since Nov 2005
16224 posts
Posted on 7/24/26 at 5:12 am to
Miss the days as a kid catching them. I have woods behind my house and would love to see them again.
Posted by PJinAtl
Atlanta
Member since Nov 2007
14652 posts
Posted on 7/24/26 at 5:28 am to
quote:

Miss the days as a kid catching them. I have woods behind my house and would love to see them again.

We live in the suburbs northeast of Atlanta and finally saw a few in our front yard this year. I grew up in town in the 80s and we had hundreds it seemed.

I know some folks blame the pesticides or lawn chemicals we use these days, but I also wonder if it's the type of lawn. So many neighborhoods these days get sodded with Bermuda as the default. What we had back in the day was more like a fescue.
Posted by HoustonChick86
Catalina Wine Mixer
Member since Dec 2009
59284 posts
Posted on 7/24/26 at 5:48 am to
We get ours every June. I love them!
Posted by Da Sheik
Mar a Lago
Member since Sep 2007
9384 posts
Posted on 7/24/26 at 6:33 am to
Baton Rouge

I had many in my yard early summer, then they disappeared. I started seeing them again this week.
This post was edited on 7/24/26 at 6:36 am
Posted by Zappas Stache
Utility Muffin Research Kitchen
Member since Apr 2009
43430 posts
Posted on 7/24/26 at 6:36 am to
I started seeing them 2 or 3 months ago in Dallas. But I also have a yard of nothing but native plants. I had a new neighbor once tell me when she told people what Street she was moving to they all said oh, the firefly house is on that street. And that's how that porn movie started.
This post was edited on 7/24/26 at 6:40 am
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
75750 posts
Posted on 7/24/26 at 6:47 am to
For anyone who wants to learn more about lightning bugs/fireflies, this is a great podcast episode. Lynn Faust has done extensive research on them and is the person who first documented the synchronous fireflies of the Great Smoky Mountains. It isn't a dry interview, and is actually entertaining.

Backyard Ecology Podcast

Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
94332 posts
Posted on 7/24/26 at 7:29 am to
I have a kazillion in my backyard. They're starting to fade though.. Late May is when they really get going.

The trade off is I also have a kazillion ticks. I could spray the yard and woods to get rid of the ticks but I'm guessing that's why we're seeing fewer lightning bugs.

I love sitting on the back deck at night watching them with a bourbon.
This post was edited on 7/24/26 at 7:30 am
Posted by ugasickem
Allatoona
Member since Nov 2010
12424 posts
Posted on 7/24/26 at 7:42 am to
Camping out on the Nantahala river on shrooms one time, and they put on a helluva show that night. Coolest shite ever.
Posted by NorthTxLSU
Dallas to Austin to Houston
Member since Nov 2018
14935 posts
Posted on 7/24/26 at 8:09 am to
Saw a bunch at Indian Creek when I was there for the 4th
Posted by BRich
Old Metairie
Member since Aug 2017
3077 posts
Posted on 7/24/26 at 8:49 am to
quote:

I know some folks blame the pesticides or lawn chemicals we use these days,


Down here in swampy S. Louisiana, we have governmental spray for mosquito control, and it has been established that is why we also do not have any fireflies.

I've seen them in upland places further north like Ft. Payne, AL, Ft. Smith, AR, and in Tennessee outside Knoxville. Growing up, I remember seeing lots of them in Starkville MS when we lived there.
Posted by duckblind56
South of Ellick
Member since Sep 2023
5750 posts
Posted on 7/24/26 at 9:27 am to
quote:

Saw a bunch at Indian Creek when I was there for the 4th


Correct. We get a few around the lake but nothing like it was when I was a kid growing up here. As another poster mention about catching them. What a great memory of using a mason jar to catch them and see how many you could catch and watch them light up in the jar.
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