Introduction

Lighting up the summer sky, fireflies have become a symbol of summertime for many people. Memories of running around catching these glowing insects are fondly revisited by some, while others have yet to enjoy this exciting activity. Fireflies are beautiful to observe but if looked at more closely, one would discover that there is an entire world of different fireflies in their own backyard.

Fireflies are insects residing in the family Lampyridae. Most of the species emit a light from their lower abdomen for the purpose of finding a mate. The light, also called flashes are emitted in patterns that are specific to a certain species (Faust 2017). These flash patterns are a useful way of determining what firefly you are observing. If observed closely, the night sky could be filled with many different flash patterns.

Realizing the potential in discovering great diversity of firefly species, White Memorial set out to catalogue the species residing on the property. Seven study sites were chosen in order to represent the vast property as well as to increase the possibility of finding new species for the property. Habitat preference was also a factor in choosing where to collect specimens. Fireflies prefer areas with tall grasses that border or are near bodies of standing water. Having said this, fireflies will spread away from bodies of water and into wooded areas or open fields as the night progresses (Faust 2017). Once these sites were chosen, a researcher from White Memorial would travel to a site 30 minutes before sunset on dry nights. Then a specimen would be collected matching each observable flash pattern. These specimens are then identified and preserved.

One would wonder, why put all of this effort into collecting and cataloguing firefly species? Fireflies are animals that are vulnerable to human disturbances. Two of these disturbances are loss of wetlands and light pollution. Loss of wetlands reduces habitat for both adult and young fireflies. While light pollution is the presence of light due to electronic light which may impact the behavior of fireflies (Faust 2017). Keeping track of firefly species could indicate if either disturbance is affecting the White Memorial property.