Researchers seek volunteers to gather, report firefly data this summer

When Ryan Reed, a resource program specialist with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, was taking wildlife courses at college in the 1990s, one of his professors accused certain animals of getting all the attention.

“He called them ‘charismatic mega-fauna’ — bears, deer, elk, those types of animals,” Reed said. “And he wanted to make us aware that there are so many other organisms out there that deserve protection and conservation, but don’t always get it.”

Reed, who works in the department’s Bureau of Forestry, said fireflies’ glowing rear ends help them make up for that.

“They’re almost like a ‘charismatic micro-fauna,’ ” he said. “They’re not big, but people connect with them through childhood memories or watching their own kids. What child hasn’t gone outside, caught a lightning bug in their hands and admired how it lights up?”

To try and take advantage of that fascination, Reed and other DCNR officials are promoting the Firefly Watch Community Science Project, spearheaded by Mass Audubon in Massachusetts in partnership with researchers from Tufts University. Its goal is to learn about the geographic distribution of fireflies and what environmental factors affect their populations.

The project is open to anyone in North America, with participants spending at least 10 minutes per week observing fireflies regularly in one location, whether it’s a backyard or a nearby field. They will be asked to provide some information about the location — weather conditions during observation, whether the area has been mowed, etc. — and can submit data online at MassAudubon.org/fireflywatch.

“It’s a community science opportunity,” Reed said. “There’s one that’s done with monarch butterflies, there’s the Christmas bird count that the local Audubon Society does — we promote them because we feel like the more the public gets involved in observing and tracking these animals, the more likely they’ll be conservation advocates later in life.”

A free toolkit is available for groups and educators. As participants gain experience, they can report additional information such as firefly species, which can sometimes be determined simply by watching a flashing pattern. For example, while the species Photinus ignitus uses a single flash roughly every five seconds, Photinus consanguineus uses a double-flash signal spaced roughly four seconds apart.

“The ultimate goal is raising awareness about the loss of biodiversity and the critical link it has with habitat,” Reed said. “We need to shed light on habitat loss, pesticides and other human impacts and make people more aware that what happens with insects can reverberate farther up the food chain.”

For more information about the Firefly Watch Community Science Project, visit MassAudubon.org/fireflywatch.