Why fireflies are everywhere this summer
As the early-2000s bop goes, you would not believe your eyes, if 10 million fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep. While 10 million may not be the exact number of the summer staple lighting up the sky, several states across the country are reporting increased sightings of fireflies–or lightning bugs. “The whole forest was blinking,” Kimberly Mackowski of West Allis, Wisconsin told Wisconsin Public Radio. “It’s like someone put blinking lights on, right at the forest entrance.” Parts of Pennsylvania, Illinois, and even primarily urban areas like Washington DC and New York City have experienced an uptick in this summertime natural wonder. Their yellow, green, or red glow when paired with chirping crickets or cicadas buzzing signals hot and hazy summer days. While there may be as many as 2,400 species of firefly on Earth, these insects have faced years of decline due to increased light pollution, habitat loss,...