Knowledgebase

Am I Seeing Fireflies? #873467

Asked June 17, 2024, 2:48 PM EDT

I am living in Royal Oak, MD, beside Oak Creek. On the night of June 14, at about 10:00 p.m., I saw lights flashing high up in the nearby trees, the size of softballs. They flashed in separate places amidst the branches, almost in unison, but just for a moment, like bright flashlights being turned on and off. There were at least 15 of these softballs flashing intermittently for quite some time. It was incredible!!!

Talbot County Maryland

Expert Response

It's hard to say what you saw, but firefly adults are emerging now and starting to breed, which is when they attract mates by flashing at night. We aren't aware of any species that do this in a softball-sized aggregation, but Maryland is home to almost three dozen species in the group of beetles that fireflies belong to. Flashing pattern varies from one species to another.

Miri

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