• About
  • Get Here
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Community & Business
  • Stewardship
PA Wilds Logo
  • Explore
    Landscapes

    Landscapes

    Landscapes are thematic regions of the Pennsylvania Wilds, each with their own character and unique, place-specific experiences.

    Learn more

    Elk Country

    Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds

    Cook Forest and the Ancients

    I-80 Frontier

    Dark Skies

    Pine Creek Valley and The PA Grand Canyon

  • Take a
    Journey

    Journeys

    Our Journeys are the many roads & byways & trails & waterways that connect our landscapes and inspire your exploration.

    Learn more

    Scenic Route 6

    National Wild and Scenic Rivers

    Kinzua Experience

    North Country National Scenic Trail

    Bucktail Scenic Byway

    Elk Scenic Drive

    West Branch Susquehanna

    Pine Creek Rail Trail

  • Find
    Activities
  • Attend an
    Event
  • Made in the
    PA Wilds
PA Wilds Logo

☰

  • Explore Landscapes

    • Elk Country
    • Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds
    • Cook Forest and the Ancients
    • I-80 Frontier
    • Dark Skies
    • Pine Creek Valley and The PA Grand Canyon
  • Take a Journey

    • Scenic Route 6
    • National Wild and Scenic Rivers
    • Kinzua Experience
    • North Country National Scenic Trail
    • Bucktail Scenic Byway
    • Elk Scenic Drive
    • West Branch Susquehanna
    • Pine Creek Rail Trail
  • Find Activities
  • Attend an Event
  • Made in the PA Wilds
  • About
  • Get Here
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Community & Business
  • Stewardship

Due to the risks associated with COVID-19, please use appropriate precautions when traveling and refer to CDC recommendations when visiting the Pennsylvania Wilds.

Pennsylvania Fireflies: Signals of Summer

  • by Guest Contributor
  • June 16, 2020
  • Share:
Head Back

By Tracey Coulter 

June flashes in the night sky signal the arrival of summer. My first memories of fireflies were of chasing them through woods and fields, waving an empty peanut butter jar and hoping to fill it with living light. Later, the bedtime story might be “Sam and the Firefly” – a tale of a trouble-making firefly who ultimately saved the day. Fireflies seem designed to capture a child’s imagination – whether as fantasy fairy folk or a word-writing insect akin to Charlotte.

It was, in fact, through the efforts of children that the firefly was designated the state insect of Pennsylvania. Elementary students from Upper Darby worked with state legislators, circulated petitions, and distributed bumper stickers to support their position that since there was a species of firefly named for our state (Photuris pensylvanica), it should be designated our state insect. Their efforts paid off. In 1974, then Governor Milton J. Shapp signed the bill that officially made the firefly our state insect.

PA Firefly Festival
Pennsylvania Firefly Festival Photo by Ian Toole, 2017

“Jewels of the Night” or scheming predators?

Fireflies can be both. Like many things, there is often a dark side. Fireflies, or lightning bugs, are actually not flies, but beetles. Their larvae, sometimes called glow-worms, feed on other invertebrates—especially soft-bodied species like snails, slugs, and worms. These preferences can make them a welcome addition to gardens and mushroom production yards.

Firefly adults light up the night and the young control pests – what’s not to like? Although some adults feed on the nectar of flowers such as common milkweed, aster, and goldenrod, some don’t feed at all. Others, like our own Pennsylvania firefly, are carnivorous. Females of the genus Photuris can mimic the flash pattern of male fireflies to lure them for a quick meal. For male fireflies – courtship can be deadly.

According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, firefly populations are declining, in part due to habitat loss and degradation, light pollution, pesticide use, overharvesting, and climate change. The Society recommends “leaving the leaves” to enhance prey habitat; reduce use of security floodlights where possible, and restore and create suitable habitat away from light and pesticide pollution. Search the Xerces website for “Conserving the Jewels of the Night” for more in-depth guidelines and information for firefly conservation and a recorded webinar.

Finally, firefly season is approaching! Look for ways to celebrate these beautiful and ecologically important insects. Pennsylvania’s own firefly festival has been taking place for eight years— this year, tours will be limited due to COVID-19, but you can follow the presentations and events from your own home, then go outside and look for their lights in your own night sky.

See them for yourself!

The Pennsylvania Firefly Festival is going virtual for 2020 due to COVID-19. On June 27, you can tune in from home to learn more about these magnificent insects and witness their beautiful lights.

Learn more at www.pafireflyevents.org.

About the Author: Tracey Coulter

After working many years as a purchasing agent, Ms. Tracey Coulter returned to school to study forestry, beginning with an Associate’s Degree in Forest Technology and concluding with a Master’s Degree in Forest Resources from Penn State. She now serves as Agroforestry Coordinator in the Rural & Community Forestry Section of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry, where she works to strengthen working landscapes by building the connections among sustainable forestry, sustainable agriculture, and healthy watersheds. This article was originally written for the Bureau of Forestry’s weekly e-newsletter, “Forest Fridays.”

Related Articles

Boughs of Holly


Read More

Ghosts of the Forest


Read More

Allegheny woodrats: A Pennsylvania native


Read More

More From Our Blog

Author: Guest Contributor
The Pennsylvania Wilds is home to more than 2 million acres of public land, 50 state game lands, 29 state parks, 8 state forests, 2 National Wild & Scenic Rivers, abundant wildlife, hundreds of miles of land and water trails, some of the darkest skies in the country, and the largest elk herd in the northeast. The PA Wilds team is grateful to share the many stories of this region through the words and images of our talented guest contributors.

Back to the blog

Comments:

Explore Landscapes & Journeys

  • Elk Country
  • Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds
  • Cook Forest and the Ancients
  • I-80 Frontier
  • Dark Skies
  • Pine Creek Valley and The PA Grand Canyon
  • Scenic Route 6
  • National Wild and Scenic Rivers
  • Kinzua Experience
  • North Country National Scenic Trail
  • Bucktail Scenic Byway
  • Elk Scenic Drive
  • West Branch Susquehanna
  • Pine Creek Rail Trail

Connect & Learn

  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Our mission
  • Submit your stories
  • Privacy Policy

Newsletter sign up

Thanks for signing up!
Facebook

facebook

Instagram

Instagram

YouTube

youtube

Twitter

twitter

Copyright 2021 The Pennsylvania Wilds

Site by Pixel & Hammer

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Fill out this form and tell us a little about yourself so we can provide you with upcoming events and news that are hand-picked for your interests!

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required