WHERE ARE THE BEST PLACES TO WATCH FIRE- FLIES IN THE SUSQUEHANNA GREENWAY?
THEY LIVE SHORT BUT EN-LIGHTENED LIVES
We recommend fields with tall grasses & low light pollution. Areas where the grasses meet the forest line offer an ideal dark backdrop for the incandes- cent glows. The river banks of the Susquehanna are always a great place to catch some biolumi- nescence. Check out the Greenway’s Interactive Map to find a public river access near you. This summer, you can also help scientists learn about the geographic distribution of fireflies and what environmental factors impact their abun- dance through the Firefly Watch Community Sci- ence Project. Just pick a spot to observe them, and map them here.
The egg to larvae stages of the firefly life cycle last from the end of summer to the spring, after which the small larvae dedicate all their energy to grow- ing wings and hard-shells. Once they emerge as fully-fledged fireflies in the late spring, the small glowing insects only have about two months to find love before their lights go out forever. Now that you know some cool firefly facts, the hot humid days of July and August are the perfect time to get outside and watch the light shows. Since fireflies are cold-blooded, hotter weather means their flashes will be longer and brighter.
Article Courtesy of the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership
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