Does your state have Fireflies??
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 5,072
Likes: 104
From: Prescott, AZ
Does your state have Fireflies??
OK> this may not the be the best place to ask this question, but I have posted so many times here in the Touring forum and you people Always have the answers, so here goes
This may be the dumb question of day/month - I am planning my second Coast to Coast - starting with the RFTW group http://rftw.org/ - After that we will be heading East / North then back west - along the northern areas of PA, OH, IN (southern MI) then back to Northern ID - around Chicago up to WI into Minnesota then south to Iowa > west to NE and back to CA.
I grew up with Fireflies in TX and wife also in Pennsylvania
Really would like to experience them again on this return trip - this will be in the middle of June -
Any and all suggestions will be welcome..
If this trip goes as planned - when we hit NE > that will complete our quest to have ridden in ALL 50 US States...
Thanks
This may be the dumb question of day/month - I am planning my second Coast to Coast - starting with the RFTW group http://rftw.org/ - After that we will be heading East / North then back west - along the northern areas of PA, OH, IN (southern MI) then back to Northern ID - around Chicago up to WI into Minnesota then south to Iowa > west to NE and back to CA.
I grew up with Fireflies in TX and wife also in Pennsylvania
Really would like to experience them again on this return trip - this will be in the middle of June -
Any and all suggestions will be welcome..
If this trip goes as planned - when we hit NE > that will complete our quest to have ridden in ALL 50 US States...
Thanks
Club Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,474
Likes: 6
From: Port Charlotte, Florida
You talking Lightning bugs as we all grew up calling them? Ohio in my are is loaded with them kids always seem to have them and out catching them. Some years there seems to be a million of them flashing around others not as much id venture to say it will be a good year this year.
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,575
Likes: 179
From: N.E. OHIO
Like others said, Ohio for sure but not sure about June, probably depends how warm it is.
If ya running along Lake Erie and need any info, let me know. I'm east of Cleveland near the PA border and on the lake. Sounds like a great trip.
If ya running along Lake Erie and need any info, let me know. I'm east of Cleveland near the PA border and on the lake. Sounds like a great trip.
Last edited by Chuck1; Mar 12, 2010 at 05:32 AM.
Road Captain
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 648
Likes: 0
From: North Texas
Yep, in North Texas and Southern Oklahoma. I seem to notice them when I'm camping at the lake. Never noticed them around my yard.
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Road Warrior
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From: Northern Illinois
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,336
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From: Southern Maryland
Bradford
Born in Bradford Pa and we had them there and in Olean NY and now in Leonardtown MD so NY to Pa to MD has fire flies or lighting bugs as we used to call them.
In the United States, one of the most famous sightings of fireflies blinking in unison occurs annually near Elkmont, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains during the first weeks of June. Congaree National Park in South Carolina is another host to this phenomenon
What can gardeners and homeowners do to help insure their survival?
Dont use chemical fertilizers! Use natural ones, like compost, compost tea and fish and seaweed mixes.
Dont use toxic chemical pesticides! And dont use broad-spectrum organic pesticides in areas where fireflies live and breed. Species specific organic pest controllers like BTK (which only works against pest caterpillars) and BTI (which only prevents mosquitoes and other biting flies from breeding) are 100% firefly safe; as are insecticidal soap and oil sprays, as these two controls only work when you can see and soak the pest. Just dont spray any lightning bugs!
Turn off outdoor lighting at mating time. Thats between 6:45 pm and midnight from May through August; youll help the fireflies and get to see them. If lights cant be turned off completely, hook them up to a motion detector, suggests Dr. Vencl. Or replace ones that shine in all directions with low-to-the-ground fixtures that point straight down.
And leave some weedy, messy areas on your property. Glowworms and their prey are creatures of moisture; they love mucking about in leaf litter and damp areas that are a little bit wild.
And if your landscape has been getting bone dry in spring and summer, consider putting in a little water feature with some firefly-friendly habitat at its margins. And dont light it! With any luck, those amazing insects will take care of that part for you.
In the United States, one of the most famous sightings of fireflies blinking in unison occurs annually near Elkmont, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains during the first weeks of June. Congaree National Park in South Carolina is another host to this phenomenon
What can gardeners and homeowners do to help insure their survival?
Dont use chemical fertilizers! Use natural ones, like compost, compost tea and fish and seaweed mixes.
Dont use toxic chemical pesticides! And dont use broad-spectrum organic pesticides in areas where fireflies live and breed. Species specific organic pest controllers like BTK (which only works against pest caterpillars) and BTI (which only prevents mosquitoes and other biting flies from breeding) are 100% firefly safe; as are insecticidal soap and oil sprays, as these two controls only work when you can see and soak the pest. Just dont spray any lightning bugs!
Turn off outdoor lighting at mating time. Thats between 6:45 pm and midnight from May through August; youll help the fireflies and get to see them. If lights cant be turned off completely, hook them up to a motion detector, suggests Dr. Vencl. Or replace ones that shine in all directions with low-to-the-ground fixtures that point straight down.
And leave some weedy, messy areas on your property. Glowworms and their prey are creatures of moisture; they love mucking about in leaf litter and damp areas that are a little bit wild.
And if your landscape has been getting bone dry in spring and summer, consider putting in a little water feature with some firefly-friendly habitat at its margins. And dont light it! With any luck, those amazing insects will take care of that part for you.