Will We Be the Last Generation to Experience Fireflies? Experts Weigh In

You may have happy childhood memories of running barefoot across the lawn to catch fireflies. But whether you call them fireflies, lightning bugs, or glow-worms, does it seem like you’re seeing fewer of them these days? And does this mean we may be the last generation to experience these tiny, shimmering jewels?

Fireflies (Lampyridae) have been around for more than 100 million years. There are more than 2,600 firefly species worldwide, with 178 species of firefly found in the U.S. But the truth about their future is concerning. “All firefly species, even those that are the least at risk, are facing significant threats,” says Richard Joyce, conservation biologist at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. “There are about 18 species of firefly in the US that scientists have identified as being at a higher risk of disappearing.”

There are many threats to their existence. “They may not be extinct, but many species we associate with that spring and summertime magical glow are threatened by habitat loss,” says Eric Benson, PhD, professor emeritus and extension entomologist with Clemson University. “Once you change a landscape, say, with a bulldozer clearing land for a new development, you impact them. Some species have females that don’t have wings, so the males have to fly to find them. But once the females are wiped out, it’s nearly impossible to repopulate that area.”