Fireflies are disappearing. Let’s save them.

Fireflies … Summer Nights by Ken Scott

National Geographic has a great article with tips on how you can help stop fireflies from vanishing because dammitall do we really want our great grandchildren and their’s growing up in a world without fireflies??

The biggest threat facing fireflies today is the loss of their habitats. But with about 2,000 different species of fireflies, there’s a wide variety of environments in which they thrive—including wetlands, forests, and even city parks—which is why some species are more threatened than others.

In any habitat, however, Lewis says to start by thinking about their lifecycle. Although people most commonly see fireflies as adults, these insects undergo four stages of metamorphosis: eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults. Throughout most of these stages, fireflies live underground or in moist soil where they can prey on earthworms, their favorite food.

You can recreate those conditions in your own backyard simply by leaving some woody debris and leaf litter around the edges of your property.

“That’s a good microhabitat for baby fireflies,” Lewis says.

You could also plant native shrubs and trees and let your grass grow long—all of which will help soil retain the moisture that fireflies love.

Lots more in Nat Geo including the recommendation to TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS.

About this awesomely cool photo, Ken shares:

Along a two track in the Sleeping Bear Dune National Lakeshore where the only other critters roaming were a possom, a porcupine and the massively murderous mosquito marauders … ugh! What you are seeing is a collection of 71, 10 second photos stacked into one photo covering about 11 minutes … the time it takes to approach the edge of human mosquito tolerance (when you have a choice)!

See the latest on Ken’s Facebook or website and for sure check out the video of the timelapse below!!