July 2 World firefly day

[trymahjong]

Fireflyers International Network has designated the first weekend of July as an annual World Firefly Day. It falls on July 2^nd this year. Fireflies are light-emitting insects found in temperate and tropical climates living in marshes, wet, or wooded area-

 

BTW

I would be interested in knowing if you have observed fireflies within Houston recently.

 

 

 

 

 

...as for me, I live very close to Montrose Collective in one of those 100+ year old houses. I have tried to turn my backyard into a meadow of sorts with dandelions, clover,allysum and spreading ground covers all surrounded by Texas native blooming bushes and flowers- but no fireflies- ever in 20 years here- sigh

[editor]

On 7/1/2023 at 7:57 AM, trymahjong said:

..as for me, I live very close to Montrose Collective in one of those 100+ year old houses. I have tried to turn my backyard into a meadow of sorts with dandelions, clover,allysum and spreading ground covers all surrounded by Texas native blooming bushes and flowers- but no fireflies- ever in 20 years here- sigh

Glad to hear you're doing the right thing in terms of re-wilding your lawn.

As for fireflies, don't be disappointed about not seeing one.  According to Smithsonian Magazine, they're hard to spot much beyond the east coast:

Quote

Well, you can see fireflies in the West, but you have to look a lot harder, says Marc Branham, a research associate at the National Museum of Natural History and an associate professor of entomology at the University of Florida. There’s kind of a firefly Continental Divide, and it has to do with flashing behavior among adults. Among Eastern species, males flash while they’re in flight to attract females; those species don’t live farther west than Kansas, except for a few isolated populations. Out West, it’s the adult females that glow, but only while they’re on the ground, and very faintly—so faintly their glow is hardly detectable even to a human eye fully adapted to the dark. And few people venture out without a flashlight or other light on.

I once read that seeing fireflies is very hard west of the Mississippi.  I know someone from a very rural area of the Midwest who's never seen one.

[trymahjong]

I have lived in Houston both by Buffalo Bayou and in Sugarland close to Brazos River- no fireflys. But 3 years ago we visited Jester King in Austin in May--- fireflys!

 

I had  hoped there might be some sightings in Houston.....it's sad that sightings are so scarce.

[hbg.50]

Fireflies are abundant in the Sealy/Columbus rural areas.  They are not extinct around here…. As a kid I remember camping in Coldspring and catching fireflies.  They are fun to behold!

[ChannelTwoNews]

When I was visiting my family in Rosenberg a few weeks back, there definitely were more than a few that were out during the time around twilight when we went to the park down the street. Wouldn't say as they were necessarily as plentiful as when I was a kid but they were certainly still there.

[august948]

Go to Oyster Creek Park in Sugar Land and you'll see them.  I don't think they generally do well in urban environments, though.

[BEES?!]

I grew up near Sugar Land and we saw them in the parks and fields in our neighborhood during the summer. Other places, too. 
I had always heard they preferred to be around water, but in my experience I didn’t see them much around the creeks/bayous- mostly open or semi-open areas like parks and such.