For some of us, when we think of summer nights, we think of the warm breeze, cicadas buzzing, and fireflies dancing in the air. Imagine if you didn’t have those memories. Unfortunately, for the current generation of children, it’s the reality.
I sat down with David Hoferer, an environmental scientist within the Siouxland community. Hoferer and I talked about the decline not only of fireflies but also of the general insect population and how it impacts our ecosystems.
There is a project called Firefly Atlas, which is a collaborative attempt to better understand and conserve the diversity of fireflies in North America. The Firefly Atlas was introduced in 2022, which aims to improve our shared understanding of firefly species’ distributions and habitats, and identify threats to their populations.
According to the Natural History Museum a mass extinction event is when species vanish quicker than they’re replaced. It is classified when about 75% of the species are being lost in a short period of time.
Some factors that contribute to the decline of insect populations include pesticide use, habitat loss, and climate change. Ways we can replenish insect communities is by planting native plants and reducing chemical use.
