Feeling like you’re a kid again with how many fireflies you’ve been seeing lighting up the NYC night? No, nostalgia doesn’t have you in its grips and your aren’t playing tricks on you.
In fact, New Yorkers all over are seeing way more of these shimmering bugs glowing through the night–New York City truly really loses its sense of whimsy now does it?!
Why am I seeing more fireflies?
The uptick in these fireflies has something to do with NYC’s gloomy spring. Sure, we may not have loved it, but the lightning bugs sure did! According to experts, fireflies are part of the family of elateroid beetles, which thrive in warm, humid conditions.
Being NYC was recently officially declared a ‘subtropical’ climate zone and we’ve been experiencing what feels like endless rain–it rained 18 days in May alone–the bugs are in their element. Dr. Jessica Ware, an entomologist and curator at the American Museum of Natural History, told the NY Post:
They need to have moist, wet environments. They do really well when there’s a lot of rainfall. The extra rain, that extra moisture, that is really good for the juvenile [fireflies] — the juveniles develop into adults, and those are the adults that are moving around and flashing.
Rainy weather also attracts snails and slugs, which young lightning bugs like to feast on before burrowing in the moist dark ground and emerging as glowing adults.
Why do fireflies flash?
Though we love the show fireflies put on each summer, their flashing isn’t for us (bummer). In fact, their flashing is part of a mating ritual. Each species has a particular flash pattern, and male fireflies–typically the ones you see flying and flashing around–are in search of a female to swoon.
A male will flash for a female, which typically will be found camping out on the ground or on vegetation, and if the female is interested and likes his flash they’ll flash back. Some species of fireflies are monogamous, while others will mate with multiple partners–how flirtatious!
Are fireflies making a comeback?
As of now experts don’t know for sure just how much the lightning bug population surged this summer, but it’s certainly obvious they’ve been out in full force. And considering these illuminated critters have been in danger of disappearing due to things like insecticides, development, and light pollution, we’re certainly not complaining!
With that being said, however, Ware notes that we’re not necessarily seeing more, we’re just not seeing as few as we have these past few summers. On the bright side, as of now, fireflies are not considered to be an endangered or threatened species.
When can I see fireflies in NYC?
Fortunately, we can look forward to watching these bugs light up the night through the rest of their summer, especially for the remainder of July. And while there are hundreds of species of fireflies, the ones you’re most likely seeing is the common eastern firefly, or a “photinus pyralis,” also known as the Big Dipper firefly.
How can I help the firefly population?
If you’re interested in helping conserve their population, Richard Joyce, an endangered species conservation biologist who works on the Firefly Atlas at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, suggests planting diverse flora and fauna that can help the larvae who will then become fireflies.
And since NYC already has enough light pollution, keep outdoor lighting to a minimum.