Utah Woman Leading Efforts To Save Fireflies
By Ginny Reese
June 24, 2021
Did you know fireflies can be found in Utah? Many residents in the state had no idea.
Diane Thompson Garcia said, "This is a firefly habitat." Garcia owns the Thompson Century Farm, which has been a part of her family since 1852, reported FOX 13 Now.
The farm has increased awareness of the fireflies in recent years. However, many Utahns are still clueless to the fact that fireflies reside in the state.
Garcia said, "They need three things for the perfect environment. They need moist wet soils year round, they need tall grasses like what we see here, and they need dark skies."
Her farm has no problem providing the wet soils and tall grasses, however the dark skies have become increasingly more difficult to achieve over her farm in recent years. The land surrounding her farm has been developed into neighborhoods.
Garcia said, "If there’s too much light they’ll die out because they won’t mate and they won’t have a next generation."
Fireflies need darker skies during their mating season, which typically takes place in June and July. Males take flight and the bugs shine their lights to allow them to find one another. Artificial lights confuse them.
Garcia said, "Now, the street lights that are in this development called ‘Annie’s Acres’, those street lights are now dark sky compliant."