Backyard Ecology™ - Lightning bugs and Fireflies: A conversation with Lynn Faust, Part 1

Lightning bugs and Fireflies: A conversation with Lynn Faust, Part 1

03/04/21 • 50 min

For many of us in the eastern U.S., warm spring and summer nights are characterized by the methodical flashing of fireflies and lightning bugs. Fireflies and lightning bugs are exactly the same thing. I grew up calling them “lightning bugs,” but somewhere along the line picked up the term “firefly.” Now I use both terms interchangeably. It doesn’t matter what you call them, these flashing insects have the ability to bring out the child in all of us.

In this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we talk with Lynn Faust. Lynn is the author of Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada. She is also sometimes called “The Lightning Bug Lady,” and with good reason as you’ll quickly learn when you listen to this episode.

Our conversation is very informal and includes lots of stories mixed in with more educational discussions. This episode is a little different than previous episodes because it is the first in a two-part series. Lynn is so knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and has so many great stories that I couldn’t fit everything into one episode. So, we’ll start our conversation in this episode, and then conclude our conversation in the next episode.

Often, we tend to think of lightning bugs as all being the same, but they aren’t. In the eastern U.S., we are very rich in lightning bug species and we’re still identifying new species. One of the things that I love about lightning bugs is that we can enjoy them on so many different levels. We can sit on our porches or in our lawn chairs and just appreciate their beauty. We can run around in our bare feet and catch them. We can learn the different flash patterns and begin identifying the species that we are seeing. Or anything in between.

In this episode, Lynn shares the story of how she went from just watching the lightning bugs to becoming “The Lightning Bug Lady.” We also talk about some of the different species found in the eastern U.S., how to identify firefly species, and the general life history of fireflies. In the next episode, we’ll continue our life history discussion. We’ll also talk about some exciting recent discoveries, threats to fireflies, ways we can make our yards more lightning bug friendly, and tips for observing fireflies. I hope you enjoy both these episodes.

Links:

Episode image:

Firefly (Photinus pyralis)
Photo credit:

Links:

Episode image:

Firefly (Photinus pyralis)
Photo credit:

Previous Episode

Clovers! Native Clover Conservation, Clover Yards, and More

Clovers are often suggested for lawn alternatives or for incorporating into our yards to make them more pollinator friendly. Clovers can also play important roles in agriculture either in grazing systems or as cover crops in row cropping systems. In addition, they are a favorite of deer and rabbits. However, most (if not all) of the clovers in these systems and that we typically think of are exotic species. Our native clover species are not nearly as well known.

In this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we talk with Jonathan Kubesh. Jonathan is a PhD student at Virginia Tech University who is studying clovers. Jonathan brings a unique perspective to this topic, because although much of his work focuses on native clovers and native clover conservation, his field of study is in agriculture and agronomy. This allows him to serve as a valuable bridge between the two fields and areas of interest.

While the term “clover” is often loosely used for several different genera of plants, true clovers all belong to the genus Trifolium. In the eastern U.S., we have approximately 10 different species of native clovers in the Trifolium genus. We also have a number of exotic species, such as the familiar white clovers that can be found in our yards and fields.

Many of our native clovers are threatened or endangered. Some of our native clovers are tied to very special soil conditions and habitat types such as the limestone glades in the Nashville, TN area or the shale barrens which can be found in parts of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Other native clover species are tied to disturbance regimes that no longer exist, such as fire or short-term, intensive grazing by bison or deer.

In our conversation, Jonathan and I discuss many different topics. A large part of our conversation is devoted to native clovers. Our discussion about native clovers covers their biology, the conservation efforts surrounding them, how agriculture and horticulture may play a role in those conservation efforts, the importance of keeping good records, and the valuable role of historical collections and herbarium records in helping to discover new populations and in guiding restoration efforts.

Jonathan and I also talk about establishing clover yards and some of the factors that you might want to consider when deciding whether a clover yard is right for you. Like with so many other things in life, there isn’t one single answer that will fit all situations. However, Jonathan does an excellent job of discussing possibilities for different situations and for pointing us towards how to find more specific local help for determining the best option for our own unique situations.

Links:

Jonathan’s research:
- Edaphic and morphological factors affecting running buffalo clover (Trifolium stoloniferum) ecology
- Native Clover Conservation In The Bluegrass: An Agronomic Perspective
Other resources recommended by Jonathan:
Jonathan’s social media pages:
- Facebook
- Instagram
Jonathan’s email: [email protected]
Backyard Ecology’s website
- Here’s the episode with Dwayne Estes that we referred to several times
My email: [email protected]

Episode image:

Trifolium reflexum growing in Jonathan’s seed trials
Photo credit: Jonathan Kubesh

Next Episode

Lightning bugs and Fireflies – A conversation with Lynn Faust, Part 2

This week’s episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast is the conclusion of our conversation with Lynn Faust. Lynn is the author of Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada.

In this episode, we continue to just geek out about lightning bugs. Once again, this is a very informal conversation that includes stories and more educational content. If you haven’t listened to the previous episode, then I encourage you to go back and listen to Episode 15, which is part 1 of this conversation.

We ended the previous episode talking about the larvae of the Pyractomena or Spring Tree Top Flasher fireflies and how they are so special because they pupate on the sides of trees where we can see them. And they do this in the late winter / very early spring, basically the late Feb. or early March timeframe in Kentucky and Tennessee. We jump right back into that conversation with Lynn describing some of Pyractomena’s mating behaviors and why they might choose to come out so early.

Much of the story of lightning bugs and fireflies revolves around the theme of just paying attention, making observations, sharing what you see, and asking questions. People doing those things have led to the discovery of new species like the synchronized fireflies of the Smokies and the Low Country Ghost. Other people have been able to help better document the range of a given species like the Pink Flashers. Those activities have also led to recognizing previously overlooked behaviors like the fireflies nectaring on milkweeds. There’s so much out there to learn and discover if we’re willing to open our eyes and pay attention.

Lightning bugs, like many other insects, also face some threats. The main threats to lightning bugs are light pollution, pesticides in the soil, soil compaction, and habitat loss. Lynn talks about these threats and realistic ways that we can make our yards more firefly friendly. She takes a very balanced approach that basically boils down to being aware of how your actions might affect lightning bugs or other organisms and then making the best choices for you and your situation. I, for one, appreciate that balance. Lynn also shares some tips for observing lightning bugs.

Again, if you missed the first part of this conversation, then I encourage you to go back to episode 15 and listen to it. In that episode, Lynn shared the story of how she went from just watching the lightning bugs to becoming “The Lightning Bug Lady.” We also talked about some of the different species found in the eastern U.S., how to identify firefly species, and the general life history of fireflies. I hope you enjoy both these episodes.

Links: