The Fall Maintenance Task That Can Lead To More Fireflies In Your Yard During Summer

Despite the fact that bugs aren't well-liked by the general public, there are a few exceptions to the rule. Just as monarchs have gained our love with their bright orange wings and heroic migrations and we think of ladybugs as friendly gardening companions – fireflies ignite our imaginations. If like many of us, you miss seeing the flashes of lightning bugs in your yard, changing the way you manage leaf litter in autumn is one of the best ways to bring fireflies back to your yard.

Many of us who used to cherish warm summer nights accompanied by the intermittent glow of lightning bugs in our yards now mourn the loss of these charismatic insects. The disappearance of these beetles is due to numerous causes, including light pollution, pesticide use, and climate change — but habitat loss has also led to dwindling numbers. With natural areas being replaced by well-manicured lawns, there simply isn't as much good habitat for these insects to complete their life cycles.

Fireflies are among the beneficial creatures that are attracted to your fall leaf pile, and the females lay their eggs in this moist environment. These famous glowing creatures spend most of their lives living as larvae, and in their larval stage, they use leaf litter and other vegetative debris for their homes and hunting grounds. There, they feed on snails, slugs, and other creatures that live on the soil surface, before reaching adulthood in spring or summer.

That means that if you shred or bag the fallen leaves in your yard in autumn, you're destroying both the bugs and their habitat. The best option is to let those leaves lie where they fall. If you can't do that, the next best solution is to rake the litter into a natural area or under a tree where you can let it remain as mulch. And while you're working on fall maintenance tasks, consider planting some native plants in your yard. There's a wide selection of native plants that will turn your yard into a safe haven for fireflies, such as goldenrod (Solidago spp.), asters (Aster spp.), and switchgrass (Panicum spp.).