Native to this area or not, chances are that you’ve probably never seen a firefly here.
Lightbulb moment — no surprise.
Richard Joyce said Arizona fireflies are very “location specific,” and “you’re not going to see them at certain times of year.”
Joyce, endangered species conservation biologist for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, gives us all a pass — fireflies are easy to miss.
Right now, though, is prime firefly season, thanks to the monsoons. Creek beds, cienegas, ravines: An exhibit at the Patagonia Library spells out where these winged beetles can be found and offers an opportunity to take part in collecting data on them and assisting with conservation efforts. The project, the FireflyAtlas.org Citizen Science Project, started in 2022. Forms for participating in the information gathering can be picked up at the library, or they can be downloaded from the website. The library display also gives recommendations on where to find the “moon bugs,” a playful but unscientific name for them.
“If you are taking a walk after dark (8 p.m. or later) in or around Patagonia, especially along Pennsylvania Avenue and Blue Heaven Road, keep you eyes open,” the library display advises.
Fireflies can also be found out in Canelo — still. Pattie Holbrook Oliver lived in Forest Service housing there from 1961 to 1987 and remembers hunting for them with her children.
“It was a perfect place for them (the fireflies),” Oliver said. “Lots of green grass. A creek. We’d try to catch them.”
Popular catching methods included the use of a jar. Unfortunately, a firefly’s lifecycle doesn’t allow for long captivity. “Most (adult) fireflies last a matter of weeks,” Joyce said. Egg to end of life, though, the timeline is longer — about two years, with the vast majority of that time spent in the larvae stage.
“There are lot of things that people are doing that make it hard for fireflies,” Joyce said of the threatened species. Habitat degradation, which includes mining, cattle and the modification of land, is a big one. Light also comes into play.
“For millions of years, the brightest thing they experienced was the full moon,” Joyce said. Now at night there are LED lights from cars, houses and landscaping, which makes it much harder for a species that relies on its flashing patterns for mating.
“During the immature phase, (flashing) it’s basically a warning signal. It communicates to potential predators, ‘Hey I taste bad. I have toxins in me. You shouldn’t bother eating me.’” Joyce said. As adults, the lights are about, ahem, whoopee: “Hey, I’m the same species as you. It might be worth mating with me.”
While the Southwest spring firefly (Bicellonycha wickershamorum) sightings will probably end here at the end of August, the Southwest synchronous firefly (Photinus knulli) will be flashing through the end of September or early October over in Tumacácori.
“You have them both at the Patagonia-Sonoita Preserve, of which I am super jealous,” said Tony Palmer, biologist with the Tumacácori National Historic Park. Palmer’s workplace offers night tours to see the Southwest synchronous firefly, which can accommodate up to 65 visitors. This year’s nighttime events are already booked up.
“It’s been an exceptional year (for fireflies),” Palmer said. Thank the rains. Usually the Tumacácori fireflies show up at the end of June or early July, with sightings going on until mid-September.
Mark your calendar – for next year!