Florida Lightning Bugs Need Florida Native Plants
UF recommends milkweed in addition to native trees, shrubs, and grasses. Oaks are attractive to lightning bugs.
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/polkco/2021/06/12/how-to-create-a-firefly-oasis/
Central Florida Viewing
Oakland Nature Preserve
We visited Oakland Preserve on our FNPS field trip in October 2023. The dates for the Firefly walks vary due to weather and employee scheduling. March through April are the viewing months. Check with the preserve in late February.
Fireflies at Blue Springs State Park
https://myexquisiteflorida.com/fireflies-at-blue-springs-state-park/
Blue Spring’s firefly event is open for two weeks, varying in March and April, depending on the first firefly sightings of the season. The year 2022 the tour was a one-hour self-guided tour. In addition, guests could walk down the firefly trail to witness nature’s light show.
In the past Highland Hammock State Park has also hosted Firefly Viewing. Check with their Friends organization.
Lightning Bug Trivia
Did you know some Fireflies light up yellow? some green?
Some Fireflies flash. Some emit a constant glow.
In Florida alone, there are 56 species of fireflies.
Fireflies are not flies but beetles in the Coleoptera (beetles) family. The species of lightning bug determines their characteristics and the habitat they prefer.
What is the best time to look for fireflies? Florida's season for fireflies is early spring to late summer. A good time of day to look for fireflies is shortly after sundown.
Read the source below for hints on identifying different varieties of Florida lightning bugs. Find out about glowworms too.
Source: https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/polkco/2021/06/05/where-to-find-florida-fireflies/
Where Have All the Fireflies Gone?
Fireflies are still around. Florida traditionally has had a wide variety of different kinds of lightning bugs, but it is also the state where lightning bugs are most threatened. Light pollution is the main reason that lightning bugs are not lighting in our area. Many newcomers to Florida like to light up their palm trees blissfully unaware of the harm these lights cause to wildlife and nature. Other threats are climate change, pesticide use, and loss of habitat.
USA Today has published an "Explainer Page" on lightning bugs with clear graphics on how they "light". A visual guide to why the firefly is fighting off a dimming of its light.
lucibufagin and bioluminescence
Night Lights
Entomologist Marc Branham is building on UF's reputation as a firefly research hotspot.
Does the female like a fast flash or a slow flash? How did Marc Branham research to answer this question?
More
Key to the World Genera of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)
Firefly
The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production of light, mainly during twilight, to attract mates.Wikipedia
