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Michael Minasi<\/p>\n
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KUT News<\/p>\n
Gordon Gunn has noticed the firefly population around his Austin home dwindle over the years, inspiring him to reach out to ATXplained.<\/p>\n
Humans are hurting them \u2014 but it\u2019s not all doom and gloom<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a question people are asking in Austin and beyond<\/a>. Fireflies are threatened in many areas by human activity, which may be even more impactful in a growing city like Austin.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a lot of habitat loss and degradation because we have a lot of development going on,\u201d said Wizzie Brown, an entomologist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service who lives in Round Rock. \u201cIt seems like every time you’re driving down, there’s either a road being constructed or fixed or new buildings that are going up.\u201d<\/p>\n Many firefly species need moist soil as larvae, and they favor areas near water, including creeks, with long grass and decaying matter. Construction and drought upset their ecosystem. Recent rains<\/a> in the Austin area may help, but it takes consistency to keep firefly populations healthy over the long term.<\/p>\n \u201cWe get tons and tons of rain, and then we’re bone dry,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIf you’re having these extremes, whether that’s flooding, drought, heat, freeze, that’s gonna be hard on insect populations.\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Northeast Region<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Flickr<\/p>\n There are more than 40 firefly species in Texas \u2014 “a really tremendous amount of diversity,” researcher Ben Pfeiffer said.<\/p>\n Light pollution confuses the critters, many of which rely on flash patterns to communicate and mate<\/a>, and pesticides that target other insects hurt fireflies, too. <\/p>\n Ben Pfeiffer, executive director of the nonprofit Firefly Conservation & Research<\/a>, said there aren’t comprehensive studies tracking firefly populations in the Austin area. Lack of data is something that researchers struggle with<\/a>, and popular<\/a> databases<\/a> often rely on citizen reports.<\/p>\n \u201cI hate to say this, but we really just don’t know how much we’ve lost,\u201d Pfeiffer said. <\/p>\n The good news, he said, is that fireflies are doing well in places where people make an effort to protect them.<\/p>\n Austinites can help by cultivating firefly habitats at home. Turning off outside lights, avoiding pesticides, growing native plants and keeping leaves on the ground in the fall can help attract fireflies and give them a safe space to thrive.<\/p>\n Brown has been working on her own firefly habitat. Another strategy she uses: \u201cWhen my neighbors put their bags of leaves on the curb, I take them and put them into my backyard.”<\/p>\n “I’m that crazy person,” she laughed.<\/p>\n The KUT crew goes on a firefly mission<\/p>\n Pfeiffer pointed out that firefly sightings can really depend on what\u2019s happening in a specific area.<\/p>\n Several years ago, Gunn said, a developer cleared some woods next to his property to build townhouses. That may play a part \u2014 which means he could have better luck in other parts of Austin.<\/p>\n So we invited him on a firefly adventure.<\/p>\n On a recent humid evening in June, Gunn joined me, KUT multimedia producer Michael Minasi and intern Lola Rodriguez at the entrance of the Violet Crown Trail by Zilker Park. <\/p>\n Brown told me to look somewhere away from lights and close to water during dusk \u2014 and watch out for mosquitoes. Pfeiffer recommended the trail, which includes Barton Creek.<\/p>\n Wildflowers greeted us by the trailhead as we set off right before sunset. As we ventured deeper into the woods, we traded memories of running after fireflies in summers past.<\/p>\n Michael Minasi<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n KUT News<\/p>\n Gordon Gunn hikes alongside KUT\u2019s Chelsey Zhu and Lola Rodriguez while searching for fireflies on the Violet Crown Trail.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last time I saw a lot of them must have been, I don’t know, 20 years ago,\u201d Gunn said.<\/p>\n As it got darker, I started to get worried. The path was rocky and muddy from recent flooding. Our clothes began to stick from sweat. And after nearly half an hour, we hadn\u2019t seen a single firefly. We debated if we should leave for another spot.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I think I just saw one,\u201d Minasi suddenly said.<\/p>\n Rodriguez quickly followed: \u201cI see it! I see it! By the tree.\u201d<\/p>\n That single flicker was followed by another several minutes later. Then a group of three or four. Until, gradually, the space between the trees was filled with dozens of twinkling lights.<\/p>\n \u201cWow, there\u2019s a bunch of them here,\u201d Gunn said. \u201cThis is kind of how I remember them now.\u201d<\/p>\n Gunn said it was gratifying to see that the fireflies weren\u2019t gone from Austin. His question was answered. \u201cWhere did all the fireflies go? They all went to the Barton Creek!\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n Michael Minasi<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n KUT News<\/p>\n Fireflies flicker in and out of view along the Violet Crown Trail.<\/p>\n We lingered on the trail, at times falling into silence as we gazed into the darkness. The sound of crickets and frogs swelled in our ears as the fireflies danced. It was like nature was putting on a show.<\/p>\n It reminded me of something Pfeiffer said when I asked him what made fireflies so special to people. Almost every person I talked to for this story had an anecdote to share.<\/p>\n \u201cFireflies actually bring your eye level out to the entire landscape, and so when you’re watching fireflies, you’re experiencing the fullness of nature around you,\u201d he said. \u201cNo other insects really quite do that, especially in the dusk. \u2026 Our memory of that is being formed in such a way that stays with us.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1782909852_506_.jpeg\"\/)
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