Overview
- The adult firefly season runs around the summer solstice with most sightings from mid‑June to early July and individuals active for only about five to ten days to find mates.
- Fireflies spend roughly three years as underground larvae that eat many small snails and emerge as short‑lived adults that mostly do not feed and glow to attract partners.
- Conservation groups report year‑to‑year declines in local populations and point to artificial night light, loss of wet‑edge shrubs, frequent mowing and pesticides as the main drivers.
- Observers get the best chance to see fireflies on warm, windless, dark nights—typically between about 22:00 and 24:00—while avoiding flash photography, bright torches and walking through grass to protect flightless females.
- Practical steps for homeowners to help future generations include cutting evening garden lighting, leaving leaf and brush piles, creating water or high‑plant refuges and refusing slug bait and other pesticides to improve habitat and mating success.