Where Have All The Fireflies in Illinois and Wisconsin Disappeared To?

During the month of July when I would walk my dog through the Churchills Grove neighborhood, she would be chasing fireflies up and down National Avenue, but for the past month, they've all disappeared.

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According to the Farmers Almanac, fireflies "love warm, humid weather. It helps them to survive." If that's the case, they should've been swarming over northern Illinois for the past few days.

When is Peak Season for Fireflies in Illinois?

Generally, fireflies are most active in May, June, and July across the United States, but according to the Farmers Almanac, in the Land of Lincoln, the peak times for lightning bug viewing are "anywhere from the third week in May to the third week in June."

In Wisconsin, the season to see fireflies goes a little later according to OnMilwaukee which said there's "not a confirmed firefly season in Wisconsin, but they appear sometime in June and are gone usually by mid- to late-August."

Why Are There Less Lightning Bugs Than When I Was a Kid?

Back in the 1980's I remember running through the streets of Terre Haute, Indiana filling a jar full of lightning bugs that would fill up the neighborhood like fireworks, but now it's rare that you see 4 or 5 together unless you're deep in the woods.

According to Firefly.org, the two main factors for the decrease in fireflies are development and light pollution.

Most are found in fields, forests and marshes. Their environment of choice is warm, humid and near standing water of some kind—ponds, streams and rivers, or even shallow depressions that retain water longer than the surrounding ground. The problem is that in America and throughout the world, our open fields and forests are being paved over, and our waterways are seeing more development and noisy boat traffic. -Firefly.org

If you want to find out how to build a habitat that makes your yard attractive to fireflies, CLICK HERE.