Post by m***@gmail.comI have lived in oregon for 42 years. Born, and raised. There are NO FIRE FLIES HERE.
Good Question:
Almost no species of fireflies in the U.S. are found west of Kansas. They seem
to prefer soft warm moist soil. Although there are also warm and humid areas to
the West, but no fireflies. No one is sure why they dont appear in Oregon.
Perhaps they do but in limited numbers. They are dwindling all over the U.S.
because of loss of habitat, pesticides and fertilizers, suburban sprawl, and
light pollution.
Light pollution can have an affect on fireflies. Bright artificial lights at
night interrupts fireflies ability to signal each other, it may disrupt mating
which would mean fewer fireflies would be born each year. However, even natural
full-moon light will sometime prevent an appearance at night.
Fireflies are generally carnivorous and eat other small soft-bodies creatures
found in the soil. Some species may eat pollen and nectar from plants, other
species of bugs, or possibly nothing at all because of a short lifespan.
Human predation may be another cause of fewer fireflies in some parts of the
U.S. Some companies in Tennessee pay people to capture them for their
bioluminescent chemicals that are used in medical research.
I have used them when fishing at night to light up a fishing cork by placing
several drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide on them and attaching their macerated
glowing remains to the cork.
Resources:
http://www.firefly.org/firefly-resources.html