Dark skies zones in recent years have emerged as tourism hot spots as the bugs flee too well-lit cities for more hospitable environments.
For more than a decade, most new lighting for structures and also automobiles has come from light emitting diodes, or LED lighting. LED lighting comes recommended for providing more light at a more energy-efficient rate.
It also seems to have come at the cost of many areas losing out on the early summer tradition of lightning bug, or firefly, watching.
Three years ago, the California Department of Transportation and the University of California, Los Angeles conducted a joint study on the effects of LED lighting on animals, including bioluminescent species such as lightning bugs. Studies have shown in the past several years that increasing nighttime artificial lighting disrupts communication and mating patterns, driving populations away from cities and suburban areas.
The little bugs whose rear ends light up to the delight of children of all ages do so with two purposes in mind. First and foremost, the blinking of their bright behinds creates patterns that attract mates. Fireflies also warn each other of danger and signal to potential predators to back off. To those who might eat them, a firefly’s blood is both toxic and noxious tasting.
Interestingly enough, one species of fireflies cannot create its own light-producing substance so it eats the species that can do so to absorb those substances from them.
The United States hosts a surprising, perhaps even bewildering, diversity of species of insects whose rear ends light up on warm summer nights. Over 150 bioluminescent bugs are known to live in the United States. In some areas, people refer to these creatures generally as “fireflies.” Many West Virginians and others in the Eastern United States prefer the term “lightning bugs.”
For much of the past 100 years, people have steadily expanded the capacity of artificial light to mitigate the darkness, but only in the past 20 years have LED lights emerged as more powerful, yet also less power consuming, alternatives to traditional lighting.
Avalon Owens, a Harvard University researcher, wrote that “bioluminescent firefly beetles have a complex relationship to light.” She adds that “Like many other nocturnal insects, adult fireflies use circadian changes in the intensity and spectra of ambient light to time their nightly courtship activities.”
Owens adds that when these insects encounter more intense areas of artificial light at night (called ALAN by experts), it affects their abilities to use their natural light to signal potential mates or warn of danger. Populations of fireflies near cities may be dwindling from the effect. “Cold” LED lighting, such as blues or violets, negatively affects these insects the most.
Lightning bugs, for many, come with memories of childhood. For generations, kids poked holes in the lids of jars, dropped grass or leaves inside, and then raced off to find some luminescent insects to place inside for observation.
According to the Oregon-based Xerces Society For Invertebrate Conservation, many will travel to enjoy the quiet spectacle of lightning bugs blinking on and off at dusk. They state that “firefly tourism is a quickly growing industry in the U.S. (and) can be a boon to local economies and help more people to experience the wonder of fireflies.”
Krista Noe, an ecologist with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, told West Virginia Explorer that “West Virginia’s kind of been a haven” for lightning bug populations. Although light pollution has increased in the Mountain State somewhat, it has not done so at the same rate as other neighboring states.
West Virginia has 33 known species of lightning bugs with one, the Potomac Firefly, native to the South Branch River watershed. Noe wrote that “the Potomac firefly is associated with cobble-shores that have lots of saplings and driftwood along major rivers.” The state attracts both northern and southern oriented species, which gives West Virginia an unusually rich bounty for researchers and enthusiasts.
And enthusiasts do come to West Virginia to scope out the different species, much like some enjoy the habit of birdwatching and marking down species seen.
Watoga State Park in Pocahontas County hosts one of the most sought-after species of synchronous lightning bugs. In this site and almost nowhere else, one can see an entire field of lightning bugs light up at the same time. For those who travel to see them, this represents a truly dazzling display of dynamic nature. The park also hosts special hikes during their peak month of June to see the light show.
While Watoga State Park has international dark skies recognition, other sites in the state meet almost all of the same criteria. Calhoun County Park, Spruce Knob, Dolly Sods, and other remote locations far from city lights may also boast similarly spectacular displays.
