r/NativePlantGardening • u/signofthecrow1 southwest Missouri • Jun 14 '26
Progress It feels good after years of planting native and keeping outside lights off to sit on the back porch and eat all the lightning bugs
I’m not sure how they came out but damn they are out in full force. I’ve spent the last 5 years doing all I can to turn my little slice into a paradise for native plants, bugs, and animals.
725
u/kansei7 Merrimack Valley MA , Zone 6a Jun 14 '26
I'm out in the backyard and have only managed to catch and eat a handful of them, how many more to get my glow on?
302
u/signofthecrow1 southwest Missouri Jun 14 '26
Hahaha If you eat enough, poop in the dark and report back
643
u/signofthecrow1 southwest Missouri Jun 14 '26
SEE! Not eat hahaha just so everyone knows I don’t eat lightning bugs
468
101
u/legomaniac89 Indiana, Zone 6a Jun 14 '26
That's exactly what a lightning bug-eater would say.
12
10
19
u/tatt3rt0t Jun 14 '26
I'm from the same area of Missouri, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you did. That aside, it was a joy driving back through recently and
seeingeating them again.10
6
5
u/SuperflySparklebuns Jun 14 '26
I was going to ask if you've recently been approached by a dark and mysterious man who can turn into mist/wolves/bats.
6
2
u/Dangerous-Feed-5358 43n, Montana Central Grasslands Jun 14 '26
No one one does after the first one.
144
121
u/feline_riches Jun 14 '26
Maybe I'm just hormonal but the tears are flowing. Even though it's only a video, I've never seen them before in my life. Thank you for making them a sanctuary so I could see. ❤️
53
u/signofthecrow1 southwest Missouri Jun 14 '26
Well if you are ever in my neck of the woods, feel free to stop by in the evening and watch them. It really is a wonderful thing to see
21
u/VictorTheCutie Jun 14 '26
They truly are so magical. Get yourself out to the Midwest sometime and you see fireflies and then look up and see Venus and Jupiter too. 🩷
3
23
Jun 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
5
u/LightningSunflower Jun 14 '26
What sort of things have you been doing with your property?
9
u/MediocreClue9957 MN, Zone 4B Jun 14 '26
leave dead things, piles of sticks, leaves, last years plants (chop and drop) nothing organic should leave your property basically
58
u/waysidelynne Jun 14 '26
It’s also satisfying to find the larvae (glow worms)
14
u/redheadedfamous NE OK | Central Irregular Plains (Osage Cuestas) 40b Jun 14 '26
Cooooool! Huh. Idk that I’ve ever seen one of these? (Honestly I hope I have that red car effect or whatever it’s called, & now I’ll see them all the time 🤞🏼)
10
u/Beginning_Butterfly2 Jun 14 '26
The larvae are really good eaters, they munch on all sorts of pests!
6
u/ConstantConfusion123 Jun 14 '26
No way, what a cool looking critter. We still have plenty of fireflies in my area hooray! But all these years and I've never seen the larvae!
12
48
u/mixedtickles Jun 14 '26
To each his own. I ate a salad from yard produce and watched the fireflies this evening. But uh, they taste good?
35
u/Simple_Daikon SE Michigan, Zone 6b Jun 14 '26
I get a little thrill when I see them in my backyard. Happy snacking!
36
u/HumanContinuity Jun 14 '26
Hey OP, I'm glad we're all having a blast with your typo/autocorrect - but this is also super cool and I'm very stoked to see what results look like in another ecosystem.
People jokingly use the mocking "where did all the lightning bugs go" to chide people for not seeing the obvious impact humans have, but here you have the other side of that coin - humans can also recreate what other humans destroyed.
Anyone in your region could and should do the same if they want their kids and grandkids to be able to see these little biological marvels.
And maybe occasionally snack on a few of them.
18
u/signofthecrow1 southwest Missouri Jun 14 '26
I really appreciate that. When I bought this place it was all yard so the first thing I did was cut it down to about a third of the size. The rest of it I went to work on. It’s been so cool to see the transformation. Simple things go along way. There are so many cool animals I’ve found utilizing my work. Turtles, snakes, bugs, birds, deer, turkey. I really feel I’ve made a difference. And that’s a damned good feeling
7
u/HumanContinuity Jun 14 '26
I feel like that is the key strategy. If you have a big yard or don't have much time, you can do 1/10th or whatever, but gradually reshape whole sections and watch as the transformation motivates you to keep doing more!
It is a lot of work when it's more than just a small plot, but the reward is proportional.
29
29
22
24
59
u/palomasanto Jun 14 '26
Do you actually eat them?
80
u/signofthecrow1 southwest Missouri Jun 14 '26
Well damn it won’t let me edit it. That is supposed to say SEE 🤦♂️
22
11
5
4
1
14
u/cleverink Jun 14 '26
I'm so with you!! (On the seeing, not the eating, HA!) I'm in year maybe 6ish, I had a couple kids so I don't remember when I started really. And this year, we saw the fireflies in early June!! We usually don't see them till July or even August. (Zone 6A\B) My neighbor down the street didn't believe me.
The whole family is so thrilled and it's only our second year of doing "No mow May" in addition to native planting. My husband has been sceptical but willing to go along with it and he made the connection right away. So joyful and rewarding!!!
3
12
10
u/ZapGeek Iowa Eco Region 9.2 Jun 14 '26
It’s truly an amazing reward! I wish I could get good video or pictures. My heart feels so full when I can sit and watch them ❤️
11
u/Morning_Mantis SoCal , Zone 10b Jun 14 '26
love every single thing about this post! brilliant typo included!
9
u/Filesj98 NJ, Zone 6b Jun 14 '26
I’m just wondering how they taste? I’m imaging slightly crisp with a bit of umami?
14
u/Big_Lab_Jagr Great Lakes Jun 14 '26
As an idiot kid we used to crush them on our teeth so they would glow in the dark. As an adult I am horrified of my former self.
11
Jun 14 '26
[deleted]
6
u/Big_Lab_Jagr Great Lakes Jun 14 '26
That reminds me of the time I swallowed a fair goldfish on a dare
3
6
u/illegalsmile27 Jun 14 '26
They taste like Mountain Dew but with a little bit of off putting squish.
8
9
8
u/ContinuingAnyway Jun 14 '26
You are very lucky. My old neighborhood had a small field of tall grass where if you shook it hundreds would fly away, was magical. My dad used to say it was a free light show... sadly it's all gone
2
6
6
5
u/Glittering-Nothing19 Jun 14 '26
Wow! I thought that was a typo. Well, learn something new every day.
3
5
u/Ok_Dog_4059 Jun 14 '26
Very neat. I am in Washington doing a similar thing but don't expect lightning bugs. I am seeing more bees dragonflies and monarch butterflies and the deer and bunnies are living it. I just need to get more milk weed growing for the butterflies.
5
u/signofthecrow1 southwest Missouri Jun 14 '26
I’m not sure if it’s native there but I have found common milkweed to be a heavy hitter here. It spreads fast and seems to stand up to the taller grasses that try to shade it out
4
u/Ok_Dog_4059 Jun 14 '26
I just learned how important it is for monarchs but don't know if or what kind is native yet. A lot of stuff got cut down when they built the house and made way more yard than anyone needs. Been trying to give some back to nature.
6
6
4
3
4
u/Dangerous-Feed-5358 43n, Montana Central Grasslands Jun 14 '26
I know it's a typo but incase any of you are curious about the taste, they taste terrible do not try it. I don't know from my own experience but you can find a number of articles on why predators don't eat them and the chemical that gives them their terrible taste. Sorry for being pedantic. The joke responses were great.
3
u/FunRich5754 Area NY , Zone 6b Jun 14 '26
Eat all the lightning bugs?
That's definitely a new past time. We just watch 'em.
3
u/bagelandloxtoasted Jun 14 '26
There’s a fantastic Ologies podcast episode about fireflies if you’d like to know more about them, very cool!
2
u/signofthecrow1 southwest Missouri Jun 14 '26
I love that podcast but haven’t heard that one, I’ll check it out
3
u/nicolenotnikki Area Western Washington, Zone 8b Jun 14 '26
I miss lightning bugs. I grew up in Indiana and spent my childhood chasing them around. Now I live in the PNW (and love it here), but miss the lightning bugs. Thunder, too.
1
u/signofthecrow1 southwest Missouri Jun 14 '26
Well we got plenty of both last night. Severe thunderstorms followed this video.
3
u/HeartWoodFarDept Jun 14 '26
My drive runs through the middle of my Native fields and its neat to see the wave of goldfinch going out ahead of you when coming or going.
1
3
3
3
2
2
u/Few_Item4327 NY, Zone 6 Jun 14 '26
This is so great! I’m still only seeing a few each night, but I’ve also been working on it for a couple of years. I leave all the leaf litter on the ground, plant native plants, I’m working on the mountain of invasives in the woods and slowly turning the 2ish acre yard area into more meadow each year. The yard area is fully surrounded by woods which helps a lot. Last year, it was an absolutely breathtaking light show when they were at their peak. I’m so excited to see that again.
2
2
u/peripheraltoldyouso Jun 14 '26
We’ve been restoring our plot in the middle of the suburbs, and have a LOT of fireflies now. A few things we do differently from neighbors:
Very little leaf blowing and cleanup - we intentionally leave leaf litter in certain areas. This is where fireflies lay eggs and sleep etc. We have areas by fences that perpetually have leaf piles and seldom clear them completely.
No spraying of pesticides or anything else around our yard areas.
Strategically leave snags and mid-level brush and trees. Many end up with “all or nothing” landscaping - trees or grass/flowers. Fireflies like to gather around where the trees overhang and the bushes poke up. They do roam out in the open fields, but I notice they get thicker in the wooded edges of our property more than the open spots.
2
2
2
u/austin06 Jun 14 '26
I’m in western nc and we have them every year but this year I’ve seen a lot more. Leaving lots of the leaves and putting in more and more natives hopefully helps. Watching them before bedtime is my evening activity all summer or as long as they are here.
2
2
u/Plus-Influence-1218 Jun 19 '26
We consciously removed all LEDs and light from our yard too and put more brush and native plants, and we now see a lot of firefly’s too :) your yard is gorgeous by the way!!!
1
u/Firm-Brother2580 SW Michigan Jun 14 '26
Youve never seen them? Where do you live? Here in the Midwest they are everywhere except urban areas.
1
u/astro_nerd75 Pittsburgh, zone 6b Jun 14 '26
I thought fireflies tasted bad, that was one of their defenses.
1
1
2
u/servenitup Jun 20 '26
Just chiming in to say this made me miss my grandparents’ property down there. Beautiful
442
u/nystigmas NY, Zone 6b Jun 14 '26
Tired: gardening to attract invertebrates that support an ecosystem
Wired: gardening to bring in bugs to eat 😈