Pennsylvania's state insect is the eye-catching firefly. Its scientific name is "Photuris pennsylvanica."The firefly was named the state insect on April 10, 1974.A stunning sight during midsummer ...

Fireflies are the romantics of the insect world. In the summer months, they emerge from the ground with love on the brain. They only live for two to three weeks once they've become full adults and in ...

Fireflies have long been a staple of summertime, ordinary insects by day that become dancing sparks of light at night. Sadly, their magic is disappearing. One in three firefly species may be at risk ...

Rainy, damp weather along the eastern United States in summer 2025 has one upside: Fireflies love it. "Fireflies and their prey (snails, slugs, worms) need moisture, so years with high rainfall, ...

It’s not easy counting fireflies. Across North America, there are an estimated 170 fireflies species, which are technically beetles in the order Coleoptera, but inventorying them is a challenge. While ...

It looks like a scene from a fairytale. Over the past few decades, firefly population have been declining due to factors like light pollution, pesticides, and habitat loss. Now there's a ray of hope: ...

The season for lightning bugs—also known as fireflies—is beginning as warmer, more humid air spreads north across the country. These glowing insects thrive in slightly tropical environments and are a ...

The sun set just a half hour ago as you casually sit in your backyard enjoying the summer skies and then look about at the flashes of light that pop above your lawn. Fireflies, aka lightning bugs, ...

CASS COUNTY, MI – Bill Westrate fondly remembers all the fireflies he would see when driving by the agricultural fields around his farm in Cass County 20 years ago. “You could drive by in the evening ...

This story originally appeared on Atlas Obscura and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. At the third meeting of the Moriyama City Firefly Forest Museum’s eight-week Firefly Course, a ...