The University Of Utah: See Utah's Fireflies This Summer

Salt Lake City UT

03 June, 2022

1:04 AM

Description

Press release from The University of Utah: June 1, 2022 Originally posted by the Natural History Museum of Utah. Natural History Museum of Utah. recorded this Submit a sighting here. Fireflies, also called lightning bugs, are beetles. Both males and females light up as a way to attract mates and deter predators. The oldest specimen in Utah is housed at the Natural History Museum of Utah, collected in 1929. Fireflies are not new to Utah, but we have much to learn about them. They are most often found in wet habitats from late May to early July (although outside Utah, populations might surprise us!) and start flashing around at dusk or sometimes later, near 10 pm. Today, research benefits tremendously from the discoveries and contributions of Citizen Scientists around the world. The Natural History Museum of Utah currently hosts several Citizen Science projects, and we need your help! If you have observed fireflies in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, or Oregon, follow this link to submit your sightings. Citizen Science projects submit your sightings Late May to early July is prime firefly spotting season in Utah, so keep your eyes peeled if you're exploring wet habitats after 9:30 p.m. Then, submit your sightings to the Western Firefly Project. As you conduct your own search for fireflies in Utah in mid-May through late June, refer to the example image below showing what to look for as prime firefly habitat: a wet meadow. If you would like to contribute firefly data from eastern U.S. states, submit your firefly sightings to Firefly Watch. Firefly Watch Find more information about fireflies here! To learn more about bioluminescence, click here! here click here This press release was produced by The University of Utah. The views expressed here are the author's own.