- Fireflies Are Thriving In Urban Areas And Even City Parks - September 17, 2025
- When Weather Events Are Confused With Climate Trends - September 8, 2025
- How Forecasting Builds on Both Weather and Climate Research - September 3, 2025
Summer Nights Getting Brighter Across American Cities
You might be surprised to see more tiny lights blinking in your neighborhood parks this summer. Hot and humid weather is perfect for the blinking bugs, and New Yorkers have posted across social media that the winged glowers are out in force this year. They’re in the forests of Prospect Park and the tall grasses near the waterfront. They’re floating through the Ramble at dusk. They’re filling the treeline as the lights come on for late-night soccer games. While scientists don’t measure an exact uptick yet, “If you all had a really wet winter or spring, that can definitely cause an increase in fireflies and especially if the conditions remain good for fireflies,” said experts.
Perfect Weather Conditions Creating Firefly Paradise
New York City’s stretch of wet weather this late spring and early summer could help. New York City had a record rainy spring, with more than 5 inches falling in both March and May, according to the National Weather Service – much more than last year. Fireflies or lightning bugs, part of the family of elateroid beetles, prefer warm climates, and thrive in wet and marshy environments. Lots of heat and humidity are perfect for them. This year, firefly numbers are reportedly up, due to the unusually rainy spring which provided ideal conditions for the larva. Although, even with the slight increase this year, overall firefly numbers have been declining over the past decades.
Urban Adaptability Surprises Scientists
Fireflies are pretty adaptable to the urban environment and do well here, but there are still ways to help them along, scientists say. The bugs are quite adaptable to urban environments, with sightings all across the city, according to the science platform iNaturalist. Fireflies, he says, are surprisingly adaptable to the urban environment: wild habitats, unkempt green areas, and favorable conditions could provide real hope for their survival even in cities like New York. These beetles aren’t just surviving in concrete jungles – they’re actually finding ways to thrive where you’d least expect them.
Parks Becoming Crucial Urban Sanctuaries
It is one reason she believes parks are ideal places for fireflies to thrive. “Ideally, you should have varied habitats within your parks that are a little wild, not manicured. It depends on the firefly species you have locally, too. Some like open meadows; some need forested land. You still need diversity within those habitats and micro-habitats within those”. Fireflies have been spotted and admired in the forests of Prospect Park, in the bushes along the shoreline, and at sunset on the Ramble in the heart of Central Park. Quality habitats can vary quite a bit, but year-round moisture is essential, according to all firefly experts consulted.
Specialized Species Lighting Up Cities
There are hundreds of species of fireflies, but in New York City you’ll most likely see a common eastern firefly, or a “photinus pyralis,” also known as the Big Dipper firefly, Joyce said. There are about 130 different species of fireflies in North America, and here in New York City the most common species is Photinus pyralis. Common eastern fireflies (Photinus pyralis) are seen at The Battery in New York City, in a composite photograph made from 1,294 one-second exposures. Despite the threat of light pollution, urban green spaces like this one help fireflies continue to thrive. These hardy beetles have figured out how to navigate city life better than most insects.
Japanese Cities Leading Firefly Conservation
More than 4,500 children took part in the survey in 2024, according to Tomita. The findings revealed firefly activity in over 600 locations. “That included 170 sites where more than 10 individuals were observed – an exceptional number in an urban environment,” she says. Kanazawa, a city of some 450,000 people on Japan’s main Honshu island, has more than 150 kilometres of rivers and irrigation canals. It also features more than a dozen heritage-listed parks, including the Kenroku-en landscape garden and the grounds of Kanazawa Castle that date from the 17th century. The insects are profiting from the uncovering of previously paved-over canals and the restoration of their channels.
Children Becoming Firefly Scientists
“It’s like a treasure hunt and it’s really fun!” Genta Sugita, 13, said last month during the annual firefly count organized by the municipality. Youth engagement is central to Kanazawa’s strategy to preserve and restore the city’s natural and cultural heritage, including its historic canals and gardens. One example is a programme that empowers high school students to explore how global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss relate to their own communities. Through workshops and fieldwork, participants develop ideas for local action. Some have shared their perspectives at international events, such as the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan in 2024. These young scientists aren’t just counting bugs – they’re becoming stewards for their urban ecosystems.
Urban Gardens Creating Perfect Habitat
They lay their eggs and thrive in messier, leafier gardens where the grass is tall and goldenrod blooms. The larvae of these insects belonging to the elateroid beetle family prefer moist, shady soils rich in organic material, as Richard Joyce, a biologist specializing in the conservation of endangered species, explains. Joyce works on the Firefly Atlas at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit organization committed globally to protecting invertebrates and the ecosystems in which they live. The larvae love the moist and dark soil, with plenty of leaf coverage, according to Richard Joyce, an endangered species conservation biologist. The secret to helping fireflies isn’t fancy technology or complex conservation projects – it’s simply letting nature be a little wild in our urban spaces.
City Light Pollution Creates Unexpected Challenges
Imagine being out in the dark and trying to zero in on one specific point of light, says Fallon. Then imagine trying to do the same thing in a world awash with streetlights, billboards, and dusk-to-dawn lights. Artificial light at night, called ALAN, is a major form of manmade light pollution and the second-most serious threat to fireflies. Because most firefly species depend on flash dialogues between the male and female for courtship, light pollution interferes with mating success. However, park managers need to evaluate their outdoor lighting and consider what lights might be reduced or turned off during firefly mating season. Cities are starting to realize that darkness can be just as valuable as light for urban wildlife.
Community Gardens Becoming Wildlife Hotspots
Built into cityscapes in places like local parks and schools, urban gardens offer immeasurable benefits to people who might otherwise go without nearby green spaces. Wildlife habitat: Gardens attract bees, butterflies, and birds – even in the heart of the city. Like many common public spaces, urban gardens create a forum for people with diverse identities and backgrounds to come together, strengthen social ties and create a shared sense of belonging. Studies have found that green spaces positively affect neighborhood safety; may be tied to a decrease in burglaries, robberies and felony assaults. These community spaces aren’t just growing vegetables – they’re growing ecosystems that support entire food webs, including our beloved fireflies.
Scientific Research Reveals Urban Success Stories
“In this study, we integrated large-scale datasets on species abundance, land use, soil type, weather and climate using AI-based machine learning models to precisely model and predict firefly abundance patterns at the local scale across the eastern U.S.,” Grozinger said. Fireflies thrive in temperate conditions, the researchers said, with wet and warm summers creating the ideal breeding environment. Our analyses revealed that firefly abundance was driven by complex interactions among soil conditions (e.g., percent sand composition), climate/weather (e.g., growing degree days), and land cover characteristics (e.g., percent agriculture and impervious cover). They integrated large scale data sets on species abundance, land use, soil type, weather and climate using machine learning models to precisely model and predict firefly abundance patterns at the local scale across the eastern U.S.
Urban Parks Outperforming Rural Expectations
Fireflies also inhabit ecologically diverse habitats, including wetlands (e.g., mangroves, rice paddies, marshes, desert seeps), grasslands, forests, agricultural fields, suburban lawns and urban parks. “We are super urban, but we try to keep diversified habitats in our parks, which benefit firefly populations.” Their resource management goals include creating new habitat areas, removing invasive plant species and managing to allow the native landscape and plants to recover. “If we are doing best practices for fireflies, we are doing best practices for all wildlife,” she says. They act as oases for biodiversity, supporting up to 20 times as many species as non-native, managed forests. Local pollinators and amphibians are among the creatures that thrive with a greater diversity of food and shelter. Some urban parks are actually becoming more biodiverse than surrounding rural areas.
Complex Mating Rituals Adapting to City Life
“Fireflies light up as part of an elaborate communication system between males and females,” explains Candace Fallon, a field researcher currently working in Idaho. “Each species has its own blinking pattern. Males, usually those that fly, send out light signals in hopes of receiving a response from females, who remain stationary on the ground or on low plants. When a female responds with her own flash, courtship is initiated”. Some firefly species mate with multiple partners, while others involve more monogamous behavior. In some cases, the male also offers a “nuptial gift”: a package of protein, amino acids and fat that the female can use to feed her eggs. These ancient courtship patterns are somehow finding ways to work even amid the chaos of modern city life.
Urban parks and green spaces are proving themselves as unexpected havens for one of nature’s most magical creatures. While scientists continue studying these fascinating adaptations, one thing becomes clear: cities don’t have to be ecological deserts. With the right approach to urban planning and a little patience with messy, wild spaces, our concrete jungles can become home to firefly galaxies that light up summer nights for generations to come.
