Category Archives: Blog

Conspiring to be part of the ✨magic ✨!

What’s for Dinner Tonight?

Every June, fireflies light up the Smoky Mountains with their exuberant courtship displays – sure, it all seems very romantic. But a few years ago I spent some weeks with colleagues studying the predators that take advantage of these dense breeding aggregations. We knew that certain insectivores – like birds and lizards – avoid eating fireflies because they’re toxic. So we didn’t expect to find many predators enjoying this luminous feast. Little did we realize how gore-filled that summer would turn out to be!*

Figure 1 from Lewis et al. 2012

* You can read our Dark Side paper here: Lewis, S.M., L. Faust, and R. De Cock. 2012. The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains. Psyche, 634027.

Continue reading →

What’s good firefly habitat?

People often ask me this excellent question. Yet it doesn’t have a quick or easy answer. One reason is that different species live in different habitats. For instance, the salt marsh firefly Micronaspis floridana is restricted to intertidal regions along the Florida coast. Another reason is that certain things matter to adult fireflies, whereas different things matter to the juveniles.

Some species have specialized habitat requirements (photo by Drew Fulton)

For adult fireflies, what’s most important is finding a dark place for their courtship displays. Artificial lights – streetlamps, outdoor security lights, even car headlights – can disrupt firefly courtship conversations. Such bright backgrounds make it difficult for fireflies to see each other’s courtship signals. Another desirable habitat feature for adult females is easy access to suitable egg-laying sites, like moss, moist soil, or decaying wood.

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Gratitude: Finding fireflies & friendship in Japan

For the most part, my friends politely tolerate my firefly obsession. Some even share it, for which I feel quite fortunate. But I am eternally grateful to one particular friend and kindred spirit, Hiromi Hirata. Smart, beautiful, and energetic, she has guided, accompanied, and translated for me as I’ve tried to learn about Japanese fireflies.

Visiting Tokyo’s Firefly Breeding Institute with my dear friend Hiromi Hirata and the director, Dr. Norio Abe

Some years ago, Hiromi brought me to visit Tokyo’s Institute for Ecosystem & Firefly Breeding, a nondescript building hidden away in Itabashi-ku. There we met the crazed yet charming director, Dr. Noria Abe, who spends months patiently raising thousands of Genji fireflies through their entire life cycle. When they finally become adults, Abe-san releases his newly-hatched fireflies into a greenhouse where he’s constructed a complete indoor firefly habitat (really, a stream runs through it). Every June, for just a few nights, he opens wide the Institute’s door and invites the public to come experience the spectacular lightshow.

The indoor light show in Itabashi-ward (photo by Norio Abe)

And Hiromi brought me to see the Insectarium at Tokyo’s Tamu Zoo. There, I got to see first-hand how enthusiastically Japanese kids embrace insects!

these kids had a blast cricket-climbing…

…while I was impressed by the stag beetle mosaic

One May we traveled together to Moriyama, a once-famous tourist destination for firefly watching. Situated on the picturesque shores of Lake Biwa, Moriyama still hosts an annual Firefly Festival (ホタるまつ). But, as described in an earlier post, by the early 20th century Moriyama’s firefly populations began to dwindle. What on earth became of all of Moriyama’s fireflies?

The surprising answer was revealed during a visit that Hiromi arranged to Moriyama’s Institute of Firefly’s Woods. This tiny museum houses a veritable treasure trove of primary sources explaining the history of Moriyama’s fireflies. With typical foresight, Hiromi also arranged for us to meet the director, Mr. Michio Furukawa. While Mr. Furukawa narrated our guided tour, Hiromi’s husband, Dr. Yukio Hirata, kindly translated.

I won’t retell the fascinating story here (it’s a powerful cautionary tale); if you’re interested, you can read about Moriyama’s fireflies in For the Sake of Their Glow. Instead, here I’d like to share some photographs from Moriyama, and to express my deepest gratitude to Hiromi & Yukio Hirata, my wonderful friends who made this trip possible!

With Hiromi-san, in Moriyama

In Moriyama, many shops sold wild-caught fireflies to display in city hotels & restaurants

My friend, Hiromi-san

Learning about Minami from Mr. Furukawa

Moriyama fireflies were sent to the Emperor as gifts

Minami searchs for firefly larvae and their food

Minami’s book describing life cycle and rearing of Japanese fireflies

Moriyama’s Firefly Trail

Display of origami fireflies

How to fold an origami firefly

Moriyama has firefly art on its sewer covers

My husband at Moriyama’s Firefly Institute

China: Headed for Endarkenment?

During summer 2016, some pretty alarming reports began circulating around the English-speaking world concerning commercial harvesting of Chinese fireflies from wild populations (see earlier post). In December, an international group of firefly experts called Fireflyers International Network (FIN) wrote a letter to the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection denouncing this practice. In March 2017, after receiving a very thoughtful response from the Chinese government, I’ll admit I felt pretty encouraged.

A villager collects fireflies attracted to his motorcycle headlight (Jiangxi Province, 2016).

But, sadly, the future remains grim for Chinese fireflies.

According to this article by reporter Zeng Jinqiu for Beijing News, villagers in rural areas can still make a pretty penny harvesting adult fireflies. Unfortunately, these adults only live for about one week, and once removed from their native habitat, they’re unable to successfully reproduce.

Who is buying live Chinese fireflies? It looks like the biggest consumers are giant new indoor amusement parks that have popped up in various cities, and which put on live firefly shows for paying customers.

During 2016, over fifty commercial venues purchased live fireflies (wild-caught) for their exhibitions (map prepared by firefly conservation group, 萤火虫生态线)

“We have arranged a meeting with the fireflies… After a long disappearance, fireflies suddenly appeared … thousands of fireflies flying, shining in the dark, as bright as the stars,” announced a recent advertisement for MAG Universal Magic World, one amusement park located in the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.

During April 2017 this park hosted ten live firefly exhibitions. At each event, they displayed a few thousand fireflies, which were housed in glass bottles, shaken periodically to encourage flashing. Because each night many fireflies died, they were replaced with fresh ones.

In a single year, with similar large-scale exhibitions of live fireflies happening all over China (see map), the lights of several hundred thousand fireflies were permanently extinguished.

Staffer at MAG Universal Magic World in Guangzhou shakes captive fireflies to elicit flashing

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The Double-edged Sword of Firefly Ecotourism

I believe that firefly ecotourism is poised to take off all over the world within the next few years. It’s already quite a popular activity in many Asian countries. For centuries, traveling to the countryside to admire the slow, floating flashes of Genji fireflies has been a favorite summer past-time in Japan. Over the past several decades, the synchronous fireflies that stretch out along the mangrove rivers of Thailand and Malaysia have spawned a thriving ecotourist industry.

catching fireflies woodblock

In Taiwan, the government has recently been promoting firefly tourism, and now each year over 100,000 visitors climb up into the Alishan mountains to view the summer and winter fireflies that thrive there. In other places, firefly tourism remains in its infancy. As my earlier post describes, visitors to firefly ecotourist sites in Nanacamilpa, Mexico have skyrocketed since 2014. In the United States, places like Elkmont, Tennessee and North Carolina’s Dupont State Forest are becoming increasingly popular destinations for their firefly-viewing.

Synchronous fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains

Yet firefly ecotourism carries both opportunities and challenges. On the positive side, it offers tangible benefits to local communities by promoting sustainable economic development. It’s also a terrific opportunity to educate visitors concerning the behavior, ecology, and habitat requirements of these beloved insects.

On the other hand, ecotourism carries challenges. It brings hordes of people into natural areas that are often far too fragile. In the case of fireflies, artificial light must be minimized, as it can interfere with fireflies’ luminous courtship signals. Some firefly species have flightless females, and these easily get trampled by people walking through their habitat. To minimize harm to natural firefly populations, thoughtful habitat management needs to be combined with environmental education.

As humans, we have a long history of taking our natural resources completely for granted. All too often, we regretfully note their demise only after they have vanished. Great auks, giant sequoias, Alishan’s hinoki cedars, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are but a few of the treasures we’ve already lost.

Maybe it’s time to pause a moment. Let’s decide what parts of the natural world we truly value. What kind of world do we want to leave for our children and our grandchildren? Then let’s get busy protecting those places and those creatures before it’s too late.

Twinkles of Hope

It’s been an exciting week at the International Firefly Symposium here in Taipei! Lots of new scientific discoveries, lots of excursions to see local fireflies, and lots of networking to enhance international firefly conservation and science.

Taiwan is home to nearly 25 million people, and it’s famous for Taipei 101, fabulous food, and spectacular scenery. It’s also blessed with astonishing biodiversity, including 65 different kinds of fireflies. And now Taiwan is emerging as a leader in firefly conservation.

Famous soup dumplings

Taipei Zoo

Alishan high mountain tea

More than 65 firefly species

Taipei City is at the forefront of a growing eco-park movement – restoring habitats for native wildlife in urban areas. Worldwide, half of the human population now lives in cities: our urban areas are expected to triple by 2030. A mere 50 years ago, Taipei residents could still enjoy fireflies. But as the city grew these steadily disappeared, and then fireflies receded to become only a dim memory for Taipei City residents.

A vision for Taipei City’s Ecopark

Daan Forest Park firefly area

Fireflies reintroduced to Rongxing Park

Special streetlights (590 nm-emitting LEDs) that don’t interfere with firelfy courtship)

But a few years ago, Taipei decided to undertake a project that would return fireflies to their city.

Using ecological design principles, people set out to restore firefly habitats and build small ponds at several locations around the city. An impressive collaborative team was assembled, which included firefly experts (Treegarden, National Taiwan University), city officials (Parks & Street Lights Office), conservation organizations (Society for Wilderness, Friends of Da’an Forest Park) and community volunteers.

Suitable conditions needed to be provided for all stages of the firefly life cycle. Luckily, the local Taipei fireflies (Aquatica ficta) have aquatic larvae that can be bred in captivity. Local residents and school children helped release many thousands of firefly larvae into the newly constructed ponds. For adult fireflies, project scientists and city officials took special care to adjust nearby streetlights using LEDs that emit light at 590 nanometers, because these orange lights don’t interfere with firefly courtship.

Dr. Ohba from Japan

Aquatic ficta in Taipei

Firefly habitat in Daan Forest Park

This story has a happy ending – now city residents young and old, as well as visiting firefly scientists, can enjoy fireflies right in downtown Taipei!

Taking in the fireflies @ Liyu Lake

Yesterday we took a firefly tour with our friends from Taroko National Park, Sophia & Soo and their two daughters. We drove south through the East Rift Valley, stopped off for dinner, and then headed to Liyu Lake in Hualien County.

Our friends Sophia & Soo, and their daughters

Firefly education program at Liyu Lake

Just past the entrance, the warm glow coming from a tent hung with red paper lanterns and brimming with people enticed us inside. There, enthusiastic volunteers talked to small groups of people – these were mostly adults along with a few kids. Using the colorful banners strung along the walls, each volunteer gave a short, informative talk describing the firefly life cycle, ecology and behavior.

Jackie, our guide

Government-sponsored posters

Later, we followed Jackie, our volunteer guide, out into the night to enjoy the romantic flashdance of black-assed fireflies (Ascondita cerata), Taiwan’s most widely distributed species.

Jackie told us that 200+ people visit Liyu Lake every night during the summer-long firefly season. Each spring she attends a 2-day training session in order to be a firefly guide. The government funds the training program, along with all the interpretive materials. As Jackie explained to us, the government thinks this investment is worthwhile because it “shows the community the value of preserving fireflies.” So inspiring!

But it left me wondering – what would it take to set up a similar education program at firefly tourist sites in the United States?

We’re gathering for firefly science

Just a few days now until the beginning of the 2017 International Firefly Symposium in Taiwan. This is very exciting because Taipei has been highly successful in restoring urban firefly habitats. I’m honored to be chosen as one of the keynote speakers, and I’m looking forward to learning a lot! Taiwan Talk Frontispiece

The meeting will take place at the Taipei Zoo, where scientists, artists, and conservationists from all over the world will be converging. I’ll be posting updates right here, so stay tuned!

Cultivating the sense of wonder

The world of nature lost a powerful advocate when Rachel Carson, that gifted writer and reluctant activist, died of cancer on April 14th, 1964 at the young age of 56. These words are taken from her last book, The Sense of Wonder (Harper & Row 1965):

“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood.”

“… [My] gift to each child in the world would be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the alienation from the sources of our strength.”

When it came out in 1965…

my Dad inscribed this book for me

Though I was only 12 years old when this book was published, this slim volume would exert an oversized influence on my life.

Both my parents loved the sea, walking in the woods, and gardening. They instilled in their offspring a deep appreciation for the natural world.

My Dad loved the sea (Grand Cayman, 1980)

Fast-forward many years… when my Dad had just turned 84, I got this slipcased edition (The Nature Company 1990, with photographs by William G. Neill). And I inscribed it for him.

“To the one who inspired my sense of wonder“

When I wrote the dedication for Silent Sparks, I finally got the chance to express my love and gratitude to both my parents:

For my parents –

They lived and loved together for nearly ninety years,

and fed us wonder when we were very young.

Those Invisible Lines of Connection

Invisible lines of connection run through all our lives, knitting them together. Those lines burned brightly for me yesterday, when I had the opportunity to meet John Buck’s daughter and his grand-daughter.

Elisabeth & John fashion a firefly cage in Papua New Guinea.

The Bucks spent a lifetime together researching fireflies (and enjoyed other insects, too!)

John Buck (1913-2005) was a towering figure in firefly science. He dedicated his life to deciphering how these luminous creatures manage to control their flashes, aided in his research by Elisabeth, his wife of 65 years. Deeply fascinated by firefly synchrony, they traveled to Southeast Asia to study how thousands of males manage to match up their rhythms. Continue reading →

* You can read our Dark Side paper here: Lewis, S.M., L. Faust, and R. De Cock. 2012. The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains. Psyche, 634027.

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