Marietta Daisies Garden Club

Fireflies are beetle pollinators that provide additional eco-services!

Clare Johnston, of the Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center,

created several landscape plans for a Firefly Garden:

This is one of the firefly gardens.  To see and download all of Clare's firefly garden plans visit FirefliesON.com. 

The Fannin County Chamber of Commerce, Blue Ridge, Georgia, leads an effort with University of Georgia Extension and the Fannin County Board of Education to "love local" by educating visitors and residents of the area on the importance of fireflies and encouraging best management practices to conserve these insects. These efforts have attracted national attention and this model can be easily replicated by other counties and communities!

Plan on celebrating International Firefly Day, July 2nd by simply going outside at dusk and enjoying the firefly show.  For information on how you can incorporate firefly conservation resources in your community visit FirefliesON.com. Remember firefly beetles will go into the "other insect" category during the Pollinator Census!

Learn about fireflies and other beetle pollinators in your area through your state Census coordinator:  

South Carolina - Amy Dabbs - adabbs@clemson.edu

North Carolina - Amanda Bratcher - amwilkin@ncsu.edu

Florida - Jeremy Rhoden - jeremy.k.rhoden@ufl.edu

Alabama - Bethany O'Rear - bethany@auburn.edu

Hopefully, by now you all have the project website, https://GSePC.org, bookmarked and are following our social media, Southeast Pollinator Census Facebook group and @SoutheastPollinators on Instagram.

This time of year, fireflies begin their enchanting evening display. The Southeast is home to more than fifty species of fireflies, some of which serve as flower pollinators. Each spring, we look forward to welcoming them back to our yards.

Adult fireflies live only a few weeks, and the flashing displays we enjoy are part of their mating ritual. After mating, females lay eggs near decaying logs and downed tree limbs. The resulting larvae live for one to two years, feeding on slugs and snails, and play an important role in the ecosystem. I’m often asked how gardeners can attract more fireflies to their landscapes.

Help Fireflies Thrive – Here's How:

• Protect Dark Skies: Turn off outdoor lights at night, or use dark sky-friendly lighting. Artificial light disrupts the mating signals of fireflies. The International Dark-Sky Association offers helpful lighting guidelines.

• Keep It Wild: Leave some natural areas with fallen branches and logs. These provide essential habitat for female fireflies to lay their eggs.

• Preserve Moist Areas: Firefly larvae thrive in damp environments. Avoid draining or filling in wet areas on your property.

• Plant a Pollinator Garden: Include a variety of nectar- and pollen-rich plants to support fireflies and other beneficial insects.

• Manage Leaf Litter Naturally: Don’t burn or bag up leaves. Instead, leave them in place or spread them under trees to enrich the soil and provide habitat.