Where Have All the Fireflies Gone?

Firefly tourism is booming in the U.S.—even as the number of glowing insects declines“Oh heavens, I feel like I’m in an Enid Blyton enchanted forest fairytale!” I whispered, squealing, as I watched the rapid pinpricks of yellow light gradually increase in quantity and intensity from the forest ground. I was standing in the pitch darkness of Congaree National Park outside Columbia, South Carolina.This was late May in South Carolina, and it was my first time witnessing a firefly swarm. The park was scattered with like-minded visitors—both novice and experienced—witnessing fireflies and reveling in raw nature. For many adults, fireflies are an unforgettable part of childhood summer, when swarms would light up gardens, fields, and forested areas with flashes of light.Fireflies are beetles belonging to the Lampyridae family, and the U.S. has over one hundred and fifty firefly species, with every state, except Hawai’i, with firefly sightings. They are commonly observed in eastern and southeastern states, lush with humid woodland ecosystems; there are fewer sightings in western states because of their arid environments. South Carolina has average firefly sightings, and Congaree National Park is the ideal environment in which to observe them.According to the Firefly Atlas dataset, common firefly species in the U.S. are Pyractomena borealis (spring tree-top flasher), Photinus pyralis (common eastern firefly), Pyropyga nigricans (black bordered elf), among others. While some of these species are frequently observed in Congaree National Park, the species that draws in so many visitors that a lottery system is in place for sightings is the synchronous firefly, Photuris frontalis. Known as the “snappy single sync,” the males stay low to the ground and flash rapidly to attract females. Continue Reading Article After Our Video Recommended Fodor’s Video Firefly TourismFirefly tourism is a fast-growing nature travel niche in the U.S., just like dark skies. Every summer, visitors travel to Congaree National Park for the popular Photuris frontalis, and you can time your visit to align with their breeding season. This event occurs within a fortnight from mid-May to early June, where males synchronize their flashes to attract females. I wonder if the swarm I observed low on the forest floor was males signaling females.According to National Park Visitation data, Congaree National Park recorded 287,833 recreation visits in 2025, a 19% increase from 2024 visits. Per 2025 seasonality data, the park’s busiest months were between March and May, with May recording 33,957 visits, aligning with the breeding of the popular Photuris frontalis. Compared to other parts of the world where firefly tourism has been poorly managed, it is the opposite in the U.S. According to Richard Joyce, an endangered species conservation biologist for The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, “Thankfully, firefly tourism operators in the U.S. have been proactive about using best practices for responsible firefly viewing events. Things like limiting visitors, minimizing artificial light, and keeping people on trails or boardwalks where they won’t trample fireflies or their habitat.”Ayman HaykalCongaree National Park employs these best practices with an annual visitor lottery system, where chief of visitor services, Jon Manchester, states, “The park has worked to create an annual firefly event that has become highly anticipated by people across the country. The 2025 Firefly viewing event had 3,356 visitors over eight nights. The park continues to seek ways to make this the best visitor experience possible while at the same time providing for the safety and longevity of this event for the future.”While it is hard to obtain a perfect representation of visitors to Congaree National Park for synchronous firefly viewing, the Richardson Family SmartState Center for Excellence in Tourism and Economic Development has provided 2025 statistics for visitors based on geolocation data. Approximately 90% of people who visited the park during the firefly event were first-timers to the park who stayed an average of 100 minutes. Surprisingly (or maybe not), there were more visitors from Virginia, Minnesota, New York, and Oregon. I am representative of the New York number.While synchronous fireflies are the stars of the show in summer, there is a non-flashing firefly called the winter firefly (Photinus corruscus), according to Richard Joyce of The Xerces Society. This can be found tucked into tree bark cracks during winter months, where it waits until early spring to mate and lay eggs. There are a few U.S. states with warm climates where fireflies flash during winter. These species include spring treetop flashers (Pyractomena borealis) along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana, south Florida intertidal fireflies (Micronaspis floridana), and keel-necked fireflies (Pyractomena ecostata).The best hotspots for firefly sightings are in less light-polluted grassy or humid forested areas like New York’s Rockefeller State Park Reserve; Tennessee’s Elkmont Campground within Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the synchronous species, Photinus carolinus; South Carolina’s Congaree National Park for the synchronous species, Photuris frontalis; North Carolina’s Grandfather Mountain for the synchronous species, Photinus carolinus, and blue ghost fireflies, Phausis reticulata; and Blue Spring State Park in Florida, which offers firefly tours in March and April.Firefly fun fact: The collective name for a group of fireflies is called a sparkle, and non-flashing fireflies are called “lanternless.” Swarm is still commonly used for a collection of fireflies, but it evokes horror movies of a zombie herd and does not fit these bioluminescent bugs.JHVEPhotoWhere Are All the Fireflies?Fireflies have significantly declined in the U.S. over the years, if we’re to go by anecdotal evidence. In 2020, firefly experts from The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) scrutinized U.S. and Canadian firefly species data; results published in The IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species determined that at least eighteen species were at risk of extinction, and they were native to mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Southwest states.Decline is due to habitat loss and inescapable climate change. Population densities increase; urbanization destroys fields and meadows where fireflies inhabit, while pesticide use in suburban environments affects breeding. Light pollution also affects their reproductive cycle; thus, viewing them in darkness is highly encouraged.As rural areas urbanize to accommodate housing demand and tall grass makes way for asphalt…or as the Joni Mitchell song goes, “pave paradise to put up a parking lot…,” sightings of these bioluminescent bugs continue to decline.As a result of habitats being destroyed for development, certain species already at risk are under threat and require protection. In 2024, the Bethany beach firefly was the first firefly proposed for the Endangered Species Act through a petition from The Xerces Society. It is native to specific areas of the Atlantic coasts of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. In July 2026, The Xerces Society petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the protection of the loopy five firefly under the Endangered Species Act. They are native to wetlands of South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Other U.S. endangered species are the Florida intertidal firefly and the Southwest spring firefly.DreamstimeWith fireflies imperiled mostly due to anthropogenic factors, does this mean that we should stop viewing sparkles of synchronous species? No. Just as we co-exist harmoniously (somewhat…) with nature during travel, we should learn to limit the endangerment of fireflies whether actively viewing a sparkle during breeding season or coming across a habitat in the wild by happenstance. According to Richard Joyce of The Xerces Society, “There are many ways society can nurture firefly populations, and it starts by understanding what fireflies need throughout their lifecycle: snails, slugs, worms, and other soft-bodied critters to eat during their immature phase; shelter in the form of plants, fallen leaves, and rotting logs to hide and avoid drying out; and dark nights for successful breeding. Avoiding pesticides, reducing light pollution, letting green spaces be a bit wilder, leaving the leaves, and protecting wetlands are all excellent actions to take.” For Congaree National Park, Jon Manchester echoes these thoughts and encourages “planting of native species like wild bergamot, cardinal flower, wild blue phlox, sensitive fern, and switchgrass.” Plant type differs with region, of course.On a final note, the state of U.S. fireflies sparks both worry and hope, and you don’t need to be an amateur entomologist to take action. Richard Joyce is encouraging the public to protect backyard habitats and monitor firefly populations through The Xerces Society’s Firefly Atlas.