Wait, we have fireflies in Florida?

06/21/21 • 17 min

Fireflies are indeed in Florida; you just have to know where to find them. Fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, avoid areas with high volumes of artificial lights and lots of urban development. In this episode of Naturally Florida, we’ll be discussing the lifecycle and conservation of fireflies in Florida.

Learn more:

Where to find fireflies in Florida: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/polkco/2021/06/05/where-to-find-florida-fireflies/
Learn more about the current status of fireflies in the US and Canada: https://xerces.org/blog/status-of-fireflies-in-the-united-states-and-canada

How You Can Help:

Add habitat to your yard or neighborhood. Consider adding native shrubs or small trees and changing part of your yard from lawn to Florida-Friendly Landscaping to provide habitat for a variety of small critters. Learn more here: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/polkco/2021/06/12/how-to-create-a-firefly-oasis/
Help us document their presence. You don't need to identify species with a microscope to help, consider submitting citizen science reports to Firefly Watch! You can learn more here: https://www.massaudubon.org/get-involved/community-science/firefly-watch/getting-started

Sources for this Episode:

Faust, L. (2017). Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs. University of Georgia Press. 39-168 Available nationwide at a book retailer near you!
The National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). Fireflies. https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Fireflies
Firefly Conservation Research. (2021). Disappearing Fireflies. https://www.firefly.org/why-arefireflies-disappearing.html
University of Florida IFAS Extension. (n.d.). How to Attract Fireflies for Homeowners. http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/images/fireflies-graphic.pdf

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy learning about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here!

If you're active on iNaturalist, consider joining our iNaturalist project, Naturally Florida's Listener Observations , here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/naturally-florida-s-listener-observations

Learn more:

Where to find fireflies in Florida: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/polkco/2021/06/05/where-to-find-florida-fireflies/
Learn more about the current status of fireflies in the US and Canada: https://xerces.org/blog/status-of-fireflies-in-the-united-states-and-canada

How You Can Help:

Add habitat to your yard or neighborhood. Consider adding native shrubs or small trees and changing part of your yard from lawn to Florida-Friendly Landscaping to provide habitat for a variety of small critters. Learn more here: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/polkco/2021/06/12/how-to-create-a-firefly-oasis/
Help us document their presence. You don't need to identify species with a microscope to help, consider submitting citizen science reports to Firefly Watch! You can learn more here: https://www.massaudubon.org/get-involved/community-science/firefly-watch/getting-started

Sources for this Episode:

Faust, L. (2017). Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs. University of Georgia Press. 39-168 Available nationwide at a book retailer near you!
The National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). Fireflies. https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Fireflies
Firefly Conservation Research. (2021). Disappearing Fireflies. https://www.firefly.org/why-arefireflies-disappearing.html
University of Florida IFAS Extension. (n.d.). How to Attract Fireflies for Homeowners. http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/images/fireflies-graphic.pdf

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy learning about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here!

Previous Episode

Where does rain go after it falls?

Florida gets a lot of rain, but our natural water cycle is shifting more towards an urban water cycle as we develop the Sunshine State. In this episode of Naturally Florida, we'll be chatting about the impacts of development on the water cycle with a focus on stormwater and its impact on the watershed.

Learn more:

Stormwater Runoff - https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/residents/education/kids/stormwater-runoff
Lara has a whole webinar on stormwater you can watch on-demand: https://zoom.us/rec/share/YLiCkb4lZvEE7hR3810rIXTw9usnN6S_BOONVxp1Jca4k1bWLQuLcuQ11IKwKV0f.e5dAWjiCRRgr3dFs?startTime=1621360728000

How You Can Help:

Don't let your runoff, runoff! Keeping rainwater in your yard will help improve water quality and help recharge our aquifers. Learn more about what you can to do improve water quality in your neighborhood: https://www.sfwmd.gov/community-residents/what-can-you-do
Contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Office. Your local extension office will have resources and experts that can help you design a rain garden, talk about rain barrels, or share how to transition to Florida-Friendly Landscaping. Find your local office, here: http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/find-your-local-office/

Sources for this Episode:

2020 Integrated Water Quality Assessment for Florida, June 2020: 2020 Integrated Water Quality Assessment for Florida: Sections 303(d), 305(b), and 314 Report and Listing Update (floridadep.gov)

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy learning about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here!

Next Episode

Cuban Treefrogs, they're more than just a nuisance!

Cuban treefrogs are an invasive species in Florida. In this episode, you'll learn how to identify a Cuban treefrogs and how to humanely euthanize them. By choosing to remove Cuban treefrogs from your yard or neighborhood, you're helping protect local native treefrogs, like the green treefrog and the squirrel treefrog.

Learn more:

Dr. Steve Johnson's website about Cuban Treefrogs: https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/cuban_treefrog_inFL.shtml
Factsheet on Cuban treefrogs, including identification: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdf/UW/UW25900.pdf
Learn about treefrog calls for species near you! https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/frogquiz/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.lookup

How You Can Help:

Report Cuban treefrog sightings in FL's panhandle to Dr. Steve Johnson's lab: https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/citizen_sci.shtml
Remove Cuban treefrogs from your yard or neighborhood: First, properly identify and and capture the Cuban treefrog. The easiest way to humanely euthanize a Cuban treefrog is to place the bagged frog into a refrigerator for 3–4 hours then transfer it to a freezer for an additional 24 hours. Then, move the frozen, now dead treefrog, to the trashcan. (excerpt from EDIS document, below)

Sources for this Episode:

Johnson, S. (2017). The Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) in Florida. University of of Florida IFAS Extension EDIS. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/uw259
Kenneth G Rice, J. Hardin Waddle, Mark W Miller, Marquette E Crockett, Frank J Mazzotti, H. Franklin Percival. Recovery of Native Treefrogs After Removal of Nonindigenous Cuban Treefrogs, Osteopilus septentrionalis. Herpetologica 1 June 2011; 67 (2): 105–117. doi: https://doi.org/10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-10-00020.1
Jones, P. (2019). Expert explains key role of frogs in healthy ecosystems. University of New South Wales. Accessed via https://phys.org at https://phys.org/news/2019-03-expert-key-role-frogs-healthy.html
Treefrog calls and sound clips were sourced from USGS's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/frogquiz/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.lookup

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy learning about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here!