Maybe when you were growing up you heard, “Did you turn the lights out?” when you left a room. Back then, it was a means to teach financial – and energy – conservation. Let’s all extend this lesson to conserve our state insect, the firefly or “lightning bug," which is threatened by outdoor lighting.
Over 169 species of lightning bugs inhabit the U. S. and Canada. In addition to providing a lightshow, fireflies are important to the ecosystem. They function as both predator and prey, maintain population balance, and loosen the soil, which helps with oxygen, water and sunlight penetration.
The bad news is that a national study showed the lightning bug population declining, with light pollution determined to be a top threat that lightening bugs face, in addition to loss of habitat (especially trees and dropped fall leaves) and pesticide use, such as lawn chemicals and mosquito spraying. Sources of light pollution include house and yard lighting, streetlights, headlights, billboards, and lighting from businesses. The effects of “artificial light at night” or “ALAN” on lightning bugs include decreased ability to successfully reproduce, difficulty with navigation, reduced night vision, and increased risk of predation. Scientific studies have meanwhile shown that there is little correlation between outdoor lighting and crime.
How can we preserve lightning bugs for our children’s and grandchildren’s summer fun?
- Turn out lights you aren’t using
- Remove lights that only serve a cosmetic purpose, such as tree and façade lights
- Install motion-activated lights
- Installing timers to turn off lights after bedtime
For sources & more information, see these respected organizations and peer-reviewed scientific articles: “The Effect of Reduced Street Lighting on Road Casualties and Crime in England and Wales: Controlled Interrupted Time Series Analysis,” “Firefly Conservation,” “A Global Perspective on Firefly Extinction Threats,” “The Impact of Artificial Light at Night on Nocturnal Insects: A Review and Synthesis,” “Researchers Study Effects of Artificial Light on Fireflies,” “Solutions to Light Pollution.”
