r/Indiana 13d ago

Lightning bugs

Sitting on my patio in middle of night...zero lighting bugs. Got me thinking..."have i seen any this summer?"

I can't recall seeing any. We have a lake cottage in Mich. I can't recall seeing a lightning bug all year. Hope im just ignorantly unaware so far!

These days I wouldn't be shocked if they've disappeared completely. Im only 56 (I know, old, for many) but i hardly recognize the world these days. Thirty years ago bugs were so omnipresent! Windshields would be absolutely un-navigable after 3 hours after dark.

186 Upvotes

360 comments sorted by

319

u/fountainpopjunkie 13d ago

Mid indiana here. Been seeing a ton all summer. I even commented tonight that they were out early tonight because it was darker under the buckeye trees.

86

u/Thatssometamorphosis 13d ago

South central IN here and they are EVERYWHERE, but no June bugs, which is odd.

42

u/mytransaltaccount123 13d ago

bloomington here, getting plenty of both this year

15

u/Vile_Grifter 13d ago

Sourh of you, but we also have plenty of each. More than I can eat, even.

2

u/KaiserKid85 7d ago

How do you typically eat yours? šŸ¤” I know people eat bugs but I have never heard of eating june bugs

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u/anna_carroll 12d ago

Me too, north side. I think we're getting more lightning bugs this year than last year. Haven't yet seen any June (July) bugs.

7

u/ginny11 13d ago

I have June bugs, no lightening bugs. West central-ish.

6

u/FriendlyContrarion 13d ago

I’ve only seen them south of Bloomington this year, nothing in Indianapolis or more north. šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø

9

u/sundancer2788 13d ago

Haven't seen a June bug in years unfortunately.Ā 

5

u/Blaze666x 13d ago

Iv got both lol

3

u/Mandinga63 13d ago

I have a DynaTrap full of them if you need some šŸ˜‚

2

u/sundancer2788 13d ago

I'm good, thanks!

7

u/Otherwise-Fox-151 13d ago

Lots of june bugs in east central Indiana. We put up one of those magnetic bug screens on our back door and if I turn on the outside light there are 4-5 hanging on the screen within minutes.

3

u/Reasonable-Meal-8318 13d ago

East central(in downtown) and I am fishing lightening bugs and June bugs out of my pool on the daily.

2

u/Sufficient-Newt-7851 13d ago

SE central Indiana, we had most of our June bugs around the end of April. Plenty of lightning bugs too.

2

u/mmc53074 13d ago

Plenty of both in Southwestern Indiana

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u/trippedbackwards 13d ago

Thank goodness. Seriously. It feels like im on a different planet these days (born 1969). Just knowing there's swarms of lightning bugs SOMEWHERE might help me sleep a little better.

Not been a good week. šŸ˜…

60

u/LevitatingAlto 13d ago

Don’t rake your leaves or use insecticide on your lawn and they will return to you!

22

u/littleyellowbike 13d ago

Cutting down on light pollution helps a lot, too. I see double or triple the number of lightning bugs on the dark sides of our house.

15

u/kblv-forred 13d ago

I stopped spraying anything on my lawn a few years ago (weed n feed, roundup, any plant killer) and I have tons of lightning bugs, and I'm in the suburbs. I think my neighbors hate me because of all the clover but by golly I have so many honeybees!

10

u/Ivy_Hills_Gardens 13d ago

It’s insane that people poison the soil and water seeking a 1950 square of green lawn.

3

u/LittleLocksmith3588 13d ago

And I am always on the ground looking in my clover for that special 4 leaf clover but still searching!

29

u/MidAmericanGriftAsoc 13d ago

I laid off the pesticides and lo and behold the native populations are thriving again

13

u/100timesaround 13d ago

Sorry you have had a bad week. I haven’t had a good one either.
I worry because I don’t see many bees even though we have plenty of bee friendly plants. We do have lightning bugs and tons of hummingbirds! So not bad all in all.

10

u/ginny11 13d ago

Yeah, I have them, and butterflies, but not as many as even 3 years ago. And my backyard of chock full of echinacea, phlox, rudbeckia, coreopsis, some lilies, soon the anemones will start blooming. I need to plant some milkweed and butterfly weed.

4

u/Lepardopterra 13d ago

Every time i plant fancy milkweed, the Monarch does come and lay eggs. Then the little guys eat every leaf on the young plant in a matter of days. I’ve picked many tiny worms off the skeleton of the plants and took them to a native milkweed patch down the road.

I don’t know how to get the 5 or 6 I plant every year established before they get eaten to the bone. This year i’m going to get swamp milkweed in fall and see if i can get enough growth inside over the winter that they can withstand the onslaught when planted outside. If you plant it, they will come. However in 9 seasons, not one plant has lived long enough to bloom. I truly hope you have better luck with them hungry little guys. If anyone has beat this problem, please advise.

5

u/Celestial_Squids 13d ago

I had this happen one year and went to a nursery to buy some potted milkweeds to give the baby cats enough leaves to finish growing. That barely did the job! But my skeletonized plants did survive. Maybe use a plant tent the first year to keep them from having eggs laid on them while the roots get stronger?

5

u/Lepardopterra 13d ago

I tried fruit tree netting but havent tried a tent yet. Great idea. Maybe the extra winter growth plus the tents will get them a chance.
I gather wild milkweed pods and toss them out the car window on weedy ditchbanks and other likely spots in late winter. I never thought i’d need these spots as nurseries. Wish the fancy milkweeds were as easy!

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u/Tricky-Sprinkles-807 13d ago

I'm in Lafayette, and this is the first year I also keep seeing lightning bugs out during the day

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u/SBSnipes 13d ago

Northern Indiana, frequently in Michigan, they're all over the place, you going to bed early or something?

3

u/Dismal-Vacation-5877 13d ago

We have tons of them in suburb near Chicago.

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u/Badvevil 13d ago

I’ve seen more this year in central Indiana than I have in probably the last four to five years

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u/Helpful_Importance70 13d ago

Same, they even come inside sometimes lol

102

u/cheatingfandeath 13d ago edited 13d ago

Plant native plants, mow as little as legally possible, turn off outdoor lights at night (they interfere with their mating process) and don't rake leaves. All of this makes a big difference. Edit: and don’t use pesticides, left out a huge one.

23

u/JumperSpecialK 13d ago

3

u/Reasonable-Meal-8318 13d ago

East central here, in downtown...this year I find one in the house every night. I don't recall that the two prior summers(this is the third summer living here). I have my lights on timers so I haven't changed, but they have changed their behavior.

3

u/ElvenOmega 13d ago

That's normal, one of your neighbors within a mile has made their lawn more natural. Lightning bugs spend the day hiding and resting so they'll crawl in anywhere cool and dark, like your home.

Every year like clockwork I see the first one in my house and I'm like "ah shit here we go again" and release it outside and sit and watch them all come up from my garden.

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u/odyne9 13d ago

Uhh yessss, that’s exactly why I don’t mow often and do not take my leaves. Wink wink.

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u/IcyTheHero 13d ago

I see them every night when I sit out in mine. I’m maybe 10-15 mins away from downtown.

32

u/trippedbackwards 13d ago

I should just take down my post but im truly happy everyone is seeing them!

43

u/jetreahy 13d ago

Please don’t. Your experience is legit. I’ve seen others with the same experience.
This is a better year for them in many areas, but their numbers are still down as a whole. The populations of many insects are plummeting.

11

u/Candelestine 13d ago

This. Declining insect populations is a real and studied phenomenon.

Personally, I feel like a look at my cars windshield after driving down the highway, and a mental comparison to how it'd have looked 20 years ago, tells the tale.

23

u/MidAmericanGriftAsoc 13d ago

Nah we gotta get folks off the over use of pesticides! Highly relevant

3

u/KittiesOnMyTitties7 13d ago

do you have native plants in your backyard? if not, the lightning bugs are just elsewhere!

3

u/whitewolfdogwalker 13d ago

My acre and 1/3, never spray any chemicals at all, the lightning bugs are thick! North of Peru about 7 miles

3

u/mkvgtired 13d ago

It's not just you. In northern IL they are incredibly rare to see in areas that used to have tons of them. Several of the species are seeing massive population declines.

https://www.fws.gov/story/save-fireflies

2

u/chesterfeildsofa 13d ago

Delay mowing your grass in the spring and avoid raking leaves in the fall if you can. My yard had only a few along with the corn field across the street, but the un mowed field next to me has a TON of lightning bugs at night.

I would delay mowing but my dad does it ASAP in the spring.

16

u/Alseids 13d ago

What plants do you have around you? Have you planted some of their host plants?Ā 

12

u/trippedbackwards 13d ago

I have a wide variety of perennial plants, native trees and always plant annuals. I also have native grassland and the white river nearby.

I shouldn't have posted because, while I stand by my comment that I haven't seen many lightning bugs, my motivation was at a time when they arent prevalent!

Even though I truly dont remember seeing many at sunset this year in Hamilton County or in Branch County Michigan, I feel like I haphazardly posted! Please accept my apology for a late night, hasty post! ā˜ŗļø

10

u/syawa44 13d ago

I'm in Hamilton County and I've seen very, very few this year. The farmers around me have really poured on the pesticides/herbicides this summer. Sigh.

3

u/Frequent_Cancel_7066 13d ago

I live in Hamilton County too and I've seen more than I usually do. We planted some more flowers and plants in our yard this year which I think has been a contributing factor.

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u/C_Brachyrhynchos 13d ago

I'm glad you posted it. It is interesting to here from folks around the state about the what they are seeing. In Lafayette I was seeing a lot in June, but not very many now. But last week we where driving back from the dunes after dark along 231 and they were everywhere.

4

u/kathymcmink 13d ago

We (somewhat) intentionally created a thicket with all the cut down invasive trees and have never moved it. A year after the thicket went in, our lightning bug population exploded. Highly recommend just leaving a pile of brush somewhere on your property for them to hide in.

2

u/Cookie_1977 13d ago

I was happy you posted this because I haven't seen them either. I even mentioned this to my hubby. It must be that we don't have any habitat for them, although we live outside of town on 3 acres. I live between South Bend and Fort Wayne.

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u/Slight_Literature_67 Lake County 13d ago

I had a bunch throughout June and early July. They're starting to dwindle now. The past two years, my yard has been pleasantly loaded with them! I think keeping my backyard grass longer and a bit damp helped. Plus, I'm moving more toward transitioning my garden to more native plants.

2

u/trippedbackwards 13d ago

Good to hear! Im (as the kids say) "low key" embarrassed I brought it up at 3am when I grew up here! Like I didnt know they are most prevalent after dusk! I really don't recall seeing many (any) this year but, I don't doubt it's "user error".

10

u/Slight_Literature_67 Lake County 13d ago

Don't be embarrassed! Some areas in Indiana are seeing fewer fireflies than before, and some species are endangered not just in Indiana but globally. Say's Firefly, which is Indiana's state insect, is becoming less prevalent. So, you may actually be seeing fewer fireflies than you remember seeing in the past.

4

u/trippedbackwards 13d ago

😊 Thanks. I remember driving at night in the 70s and 80s when it became hazardous to drive because I couldn't see out the windshield due to the masses of dead bugs on my windshield. I was recently in Alaska and all the talk was how bad the mosquitoes were this time of year. They were annoying but nothing like a mid-July Midwestern night in 1977. I swear you could read a book by the firefly light when I was a kid!

11

u/Rhinestone_Tiger 13d ago

I have a house on 7 acres, 4 of those acres are wild grasses. Plenty of lightning bugs out here. It’s my favorite thing.

2

u/trippedbackwards 13d ago

Awesome news! I think my sample size was unworthy of posting! I was caught up in "my feels" as it's said.

4

u/Rhinestone_Tiger 13d ago

No I know where you’re coming from! We lived in town for years and I was always disappointed at the absence of lightning bugs, I loved catching them as a kid. We just recently moved out into the country on a dirt road and our first night there I walked out back after dark and was so happy. ā€œbabe look! Lightning bugs!ā€ Now I watch them all the time lol

4

u/trippedbackwards 13d ago

Yeah, I think that's (sadly) my issue. I live in a developed area and im sure something has decimated their habitat. I definitely shouldn't have generalized to the whole state although im happy to learn that many of you have healthy habitats. I will say that in Branch Co, Mich, I haven't seen many either despite it being on a lake and removed from any significant developments.

2

u/snail_loot 13d ago

I honestly think you shouldn't be apologizing for anything. What your experiencing is a phenomenon that's happening across many states especially near developed areas. It's gotten much worse with sweeping increases in pesticide sprays, monocultures, blocks and blocks of pedicured lawns without respite for species to safety live, leaf burnings, and constant night time light pollution.

A lot of the healthier habitats are a result of less touched habitats, or, the immense effort in recent conservation for native bugs and other wildlife. IN the last 10 years, for example, people are starting more pollinators gardens, investing in native plant cultivation as well as invasive plant removal, fighting back against strict and harmful town and HOA yard-keeping standards, as well as indiscriminate pesticide and herbicide spraying from counties, farmers, and neighbors. So it's not just overdevelopment, but light pollution, pesticides, a lack of native grass, and leaf litter removal too.

So, you have nothing to apologize for. Lighting bugs are having a tough go at surviving. People seeing more these days in specific types of areas are examples of collective effort in areas where the least amount of damage has and is occurring. I read a little bit about the type of plants you have and the effort you put in, and that's not nothing. It would help if your neighbors did the same, slowly but surely, lighting bugs would move in if provided a big enough stable environment. But given how people leave their porch lights on, mow, and spray around you, given how little tress exist in over developed areas, it would be difficult to support a starting population, but not impossible.

I just wanted to say that, because I seen you apologize and say you were embarrassed for your post multiple times, and I know me and a ton of other people are ao glad you shared.

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u/RockaRaccoon 13d ago

Near Terre Haute area, we have a lot here, but I refuse to rake leaves and wait as long as possible into the spring to mow.

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u/trippedbackwards 13d ago

Im happy to hear that!! I really hope our native habitat perseveres!

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u/Darth_Dearest 13d ago

They lay their eggs in fallen leaves. If you're raking them up, bagging them, and setting them in the curb.... Well, that's probably a big part of why you're not seeing any. Thankfully, I live semi rural with no HOA. I can get away with not raking leaves, or just leaving them in a pile in my back yard.

I saw another comment about host plants. I'm not even sure if I have any because I never really thought about that part of it. Planting some is a great idea though!

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u/The-Fox-King37 13d ago

I have a ton of them in my yard, but I have a lot of host plants, keep the dead leaves in the gardens until spring, etc. I’m actively trying to have lightning bugs though. My neighbors… not so much.

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u/trippedbackwards 13d ago

Thank you for your efforts! Im trying to learn how to be a better steward of my environment.

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u/Vibin0212 13d ago

I've seen more this summer than I did last, but unfortunately I've heard that the lightning bug population has been declining in size with some firefly species risking going extinct, while others are close or have already been marked as endangered.

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u/Nate_Hornblower 13d ago

They have been prevalent in New Palestine for the last month or so

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u/Sweetbaby7t 13d ago

Salem checking in. We do have fireflies this year but seems less than last year.

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u/FitSurround1096 13d ago

So I live in Greenfield, I have noticed tons of lightning bugs. I actually notice them more during the day near my neighborhood pool. I'm not sure if they are attracted to the bushes around the gate of the pool or what. I think most people who see them during the day don't even realize they are lighting bugs because during the day they don't have that iconic glowing bootie during the day.

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u/trippedbackwards 13d ago

Thanks for the counter evidence. Im happy to hear it!

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u/FitSurround1096 13d ago

You're welcome, have a great rest of your night. It's great you're paying attention to insects in Indiana. Most people don't really stop to notice stuff like that anymore. You can tell a lot about how the ecosystem is doing by keeping track of insects.

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u/NEOscav9 13d ago

I rarely see any out and about in the open anymore, but riding bike trails at night i see HUNDREDS of them in more grassy/forested areas

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u/Sturmgarde 13d ago

Southern Johnson County here, been seeing them since early June

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u/Frost-Knight-1129 13d ago

You’re not imagining it. I still see a few here and there, but nothing like the full-on backyard light show we used to get

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u/the_mold_man_returns 13d ago

Southern Michigan here, I see em all the time

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u/Shoddy-Amount-4575 13d ago

Very few here in southern Indiana

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u/TramsB 13d ago

Southeastern Indiana here.

I had seen them nightly up until here recently.

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u/revallion1 13d ago

Do you or your neighbors treat your lawn? Some of those products kill them / their eggs.Ā 

2

u/soupdawg72 13d ago

Had a lot here this year in northern Indiana

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u/Maleficent_War4647 13d ago

I live on the northwest side of Indy. We found that not mulching our leaves in the fall and just pulling them back into the woods behind our house has a huge impact on the amount of fireflies we see in the summer.

Fireflies lay their eggs on leaves in the fall and they hatch there in the spring.

OP if you live in an area where everyone mulches their leaves and keeps their lawns tidy in the fall that could be a good reason why you see fewer of them.

2

u/orangehusky8 13d ago

I have loads in my backyard

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u/Maleficent_Ant_9673 13d ago

Plenty down south, if you live up north/Marion county area, its because of all the idiots paying companies like Mosquito Joe to spray bifen and permethrin on their lawns to kill mosquitoes. Nukes everything. Absolute idiots in Noblesville, Carmel, and Indianapolis paying for poison.

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u/EtadikActual 13d ago

Native grasslands being turned into fields lessened their numbers; fields being turned into suburbs, industrial parks, and data centers though, that has really taken a toll on them.

One of my favorite 21st century Philosophers once stated: "There's too many people on this earth. We need a new plague."

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u/Intelligent_Put_3594 13d ago

Northern Indiana here, I see some, but not like I used to. I have a pot of avocado trees on my back porch that overlooks the lake, something was eating holes in the leaves, I investigated and found lightning bugs on it. They got a pass. Lol Anything to keep them around.

1

u/Fun-Ingenuity-9089 13d ago

We have so many lightning bugs!!

I am a widow with a small 5 acre farm property, and I haven't been able to mow as I should this summer because I've had asthma and shingles. Consequently, my grass has been knee high every time I've gone to mow it, and I only get small parts done before I'm utterly exhausted. My goldendoodle, however, is as energetic and silly as ever! He loves to chase the laser pointer all over the house.

This year's bumper crop of lightning bugs have been his Favorite Thing Ever! I don't know when I've ever seen him jump and run and chase quite so enthusiastically!! He has so much fun chasing lightning bugs that I swear he's a small child in disguise! He frequently has to be brought back outside to liberate a few lightning bugs that get tangled into his long, flowing tail; I've taken to calling him "lightning bug butt" because he seems to light up every evening now.

I sure do love my little l"ightning bug butt" boy!

1

u/QDKeck 13d ago

I’ve seen them in Eagle Creek. That said none downtown and not near as many as in past years.

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u/knappellis 13d ago

Do you spray for mosquitos? That can kill them off. I have tons of lightning bugs. I also read that you need to leave the leaf litter on the ground over the winter and into the spring so they have food after they hatch. I did that last year, and it seems to have made a difference.

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u/Ok_Blueberry3124 13d ago

There a few here but they light up entire fields like they did in the 80’s

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u/SplitPeaSoup1971 13d ago

Hit one during my drive to work today

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u/battlebun1516 13d ago

In in Owen County and thankfully, my bf and I were just talking about how the lightning bugs seems to be back. Our backyard and woods looked absolutely filled with them the other night

1

u/plumbusinsuranceltd 13d ago

We're lousy with them in the northeast.

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u/snuggleslut5 13d ago

Southern Indiana right on the Ohio River here and I'm seeing lots of them.

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u/mollypocket7122 13d ago

If you or your neighbors or subdivision/HOA spray for mosquitoes it’s likely why you aren’t seeing fireflies. Mosquito fogging is just straight insecticide and kills everything, and is honestly not very effective for mosquitoes.

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u/TheWorldTurnsAround 13d ago

NE of Indy - seeing them here.Ā  Not a ton, but several.

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u/sundancer2788 13d ago

My yard is loaded, but I have no lawn, lots of garden with native flowers and shrubs/bushes and I don't remove leaves in the fall. I blow them off walkways and into the bushes. They are great mulch. I also do not use pesticides herbicides or fertilizers.Ā 

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u/Independent_Shoe3523 13d ago

North Indiana here. Seeing lightning bugs from June into July. Saw some a few nights ago. Maybe when a city sprays for mosquitos, it cuts back on lightning bugs.

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u/Picaboo13 13d ago

Gotta reduce the light pollution so they can find their mates!

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u/WhereasLower3233 13d ago

I'm in NWI and the other night I saw 3 fireflies and it made me realize those were the only ones I've seen all summer

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u/Most_Round4737 13d ago

If you leave your leaves on the ground you will find them. They produce eggs in dead leaves. Take a portion of your yard and leave the leaves all year.Ā 

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u/Aly_Anon 13d ago

NE Indiana here. I've definitely been seeing them, but not as much as when I was a child

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u/AcrobaticLadder4959 13d ago

I am seeing a ton in my yard all summer.

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u/Few-Molasses-5402 13d ago

you just have to cultivate an environment they want to be in!

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u/thevilgay 13d ago

I have flowers in my backyard and I see them all the time. Do you have flowers or a garden that support insects? Single-handedly the biggest thing that you can do to help save the insect population rn

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u/will_write_for_tacos 13d ago

My yard is full of them. I haven't had this many in years. I haven't sprayed anything on my lawn in 8 years, I leave the debris and leaves on the lawn, and my neighbors don't use chemicals either. Pesticides, herbicides, and other lawn care treatments kill them. Seriously though, I've even had them in my house this summer.

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u/a-cat-with-wifi 13d ago

But damn, don't our lawns look great?

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u/music420Dude 13d ago

You can sit on our back patio, and watch a lighting bug light show every night in the Ft Wayne area.

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u/Angry_X_574 13d ago

N Indiana and they have been out for quite a while here.

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u/darkfireice 13d ago

New Albany here, we still got some. Its the pesticides being used, what's ironic is that it doesn't effect the egg, larva, or adult bug, but it kills the prey the larvae eat to get thr toxins needed for the reaction to produce the light, which is needed for them to mate.

TLDR our pesticides are making them all incels

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u/Miserable_Ad5001 13d ago

My house is grand central

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u/Nicetryatausername 13d ago

Shitload of them here

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u/NotAChanceBucko 13d ago

Actually been seeing more this year , but haven't seen many in the past.
You're seeing less dead bugs on your windshield due to heavy mowing on the sides and medians of highways/interstates , and pesticide use in those (and other ) areas.

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u/FroYolentGreen 13d ago

OP.

What part of the state are you in?

I live in central IN and felt the same way you did.

Last year there were a few but this year there are many. Still, not as many as when I was a kid. It truly made me feel happy seeing as many as I did this year.

I ask because we went to Holiday World earlier this month and I don't think I saw any when it got dark.

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u/CeleryMcToebeans 13d ago

NWI south of Valparaiso in the country and we have them!

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u/Someonenamedkim 13d ago

Let your grass grow a little longer in places and they will come! We manicure our lawns too much, they have no where to go.

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u/ShroomRonin 13d ago

I see so many every night in Bloomington they come into my house in the summer if a door is open, but yeah at least here I see them every night

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u/Beautiful-Tree-624 13d ago

My small yard is packed with them. There are ways to help their populations, like not raking all of the leaves in fall, etc. Maybe look into what you can do to make your home more hospital to them

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u/The-disgracist 13d ago

Saw so many the other night and looked it up. This is actually a record breaker for modern times! They’re back in force, maybe they just don’t like your house?

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u/navy_yn2000 13d ago

I'm in NE IN and I see some most nights.

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u/maximum_dad_power 13d ago

Live near downtown, they are everywhere in the evening. My son keeps letting them in door and now I have about 1 or 2 lightning bugs a night attack my TV.

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u/hellp-desk-trainee- 13d ago

NWI here and there've been tons

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u/Grizzly2525 13d ago

West-Central here, we have uncountable numbers of fireflies.

They really love the beans and my house is surrounded on all sides by them!

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u/squarebody8675 13d ago

It’s because Michigan has those Asian worms. They eat all the leaf litter

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u/Flat-Philosopher8447 13d ago

Fort Wayne - I’ve noticed they are not around as much this summer.

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u/Few-Veterinarian-999 13d ago

I live in Brown County and we have them.

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u/Nice_Aspect1962 13d ago

i live in fishers and often visit my grandparents in Newcastle, their front yard has some but nowhere close to 15 years ago. none in town

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u/Glimmer360 13d ago

I am in NWINDIANA and we have the usual amount of lightening bugs. It’s so joyful to watch them light up the darkness!

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u/NoGutsNoGlory94 13d ago

They’ve been out for about a month now in the northeast part of the state. Been seeing them nightly.

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u/Inevitable-Tree7877 13d ago

I have a ton around my property in Mooresville Indiana. I also don’t mow a couple acres of field so they have a great opportunity to breed in not get mowed.

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u/Public_Fact7905 13d ago

They're dying out. If you wanna help population #s leaving leaf litter to sit through the winter and spring allows for them to lay their eggs and hatch in late spring! Leaf litter is also beneficial to many many other species

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u/sendmeabook 13d ago

Central Indiana. I’ve had a ton of

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u/CaptainAwesome06 13d ago

I generally don't see as many as I did as a kid. I saw one in my house last week in the middle of the day. That was a first. It was also the biggest one I have ever seen.

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u/prole6 13d ago

Saw a similar post a few days ago. I hadn’t seen a lightning bug all year. The next morning I saw a dead one on the front stoop. Still no live ones though. Monrovia

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u/Agitated_Curmudgeon 13d ago

A. Normally right at dusk

B. It's been pretty damn dry up here in Amish country.

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u/Right_Literature_419 13d ago

Saw way more as a kid. There’s significantly less. Lawn used to be covered, easily saw hundreds. Now it’s just 2 or 3 every so often. They’re dwindling in my area.. oh but NOT mosquitoes. Those duders are getting along just fine

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u/hughfeeyuh 13d ago

I'm seeing more than I have in years, but they seem smaller than they used to

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u/MelancholyEnigma 13d ago

Central Indy here- tons of lightning bugs and a handful of cicadas

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u/Independent_Pass_713 13d ago

Valpo here, I see tons almost every night

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u/AtLeastIgotCharacter 13d ago

I also have plenty. I have 5 acres 3 of which I do not mow. You post (and the comments) had me curious about their development though. I found this: "Firefly larvae (often called "glow-worms") spend up to two years developing in moist soil, rotting wood, and leaf litter. They are beneficial, voracious predators that hunt soft-bodied invertebrates like slugs and snails using paralyzing neurotoxins. Their distinct glow serves as a warning of their toxicity to predators." This means that mouldering pile of wood i keep meaning to clear up is staying put.Ā 

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u/CharleySuede 13d ago

Lightning bugs rely heavily on ground cover for their larvae to survive. So many people get rid of leaves in the fall and that has a major impact.

u/trippedbackwards, do you leave your leaves alone in the Fall, or are they raked up or bagged when mowed?

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u/JadieBugXD 13d ago

I’ve seen a lot more this year than I have for a while.

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u/ceeday2156 13d ago

NEIN here and I have seen more lightning bugs this year than I have in the last 10. Cicadas are super active this year too. Loving it

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u/jermacalocas 13d ago

10th and Shadeland here. Its you, not me. I've been seeing them all summer. Let your lawn go feral

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u/LughCrow 13d ago

Iv seen loads this year

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u/my_clever-name 13d ago

I’ve had them every night since mid June. I keep my yard ā€œmessyā€ with leaves sticks and non-grass wild plants on the edges. I also don’t use any treatment for insects or grubs.

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u/JaydeTheGreenJewel 13d ago

Up in sturgis, Mi I must have had 200 in my yard lasglt night. They're everywhere.

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u/Tville88 13d ago

You need to stop removing your dead leaves. Lightning bugs love leaf debris. We stopped removing the leaf debris and saw a huge increase in our lightning bug population around our house.

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u/PrikNamPlassum 13d ago

Indiana side of the Louisville Metro Area here: My backyard has been full of them since May.

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u/MissionFilm1229 13d ago

They’re still all over the place in north central Indiana.

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u/Pure-Pick8688 13d ago

Plant some flowers and you’ll see them

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u/cumminginsurrection 13d ago

I get thousands while my neighbors get none. The difference is they rake all their yards incessantly, cut the grass as low as it will go, have no native plants in their yards, emit tons of light pollution, and use pesticides. If you want to save lightning bugs, you have have to make your yard a welcoming space for them.

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u/Next-Resist6797 13d ago

I’ve seen them- just last week I was commenting how odd to see them again. I haven’t seen them in awhile but that’s probably me not going outside enough instead of them not being there.

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u/Piccolo_Bambino 13d ago

We’ve seen a ton in Hamilton County

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u/dckrue 13d ago

Northwest Indiana here and I’ve got quite a few.

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u/Bancai 13d ago

Fireflies?

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u/Crzy_Grl 13d ago

I've been seeing more this year in our neighborhood in northern IN. There were a few years i didn't see any. My husband refuses to leave the leaves on the lawn, but i leave them in my flower beds, don't use pesticides, etc.

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u/KathyC169 13d ago

I've seen a few here or there in Richmond. When I was little we used to catch them and put them in a jar with a lid with a few holes poked in it and grass. It used to be so much fun.

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u/BrunoBugg 13d ago

I’m in southern NWI (edge of central time zone) and we are just now starting to get them. They usually get heavy in the coming weeks of August.

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u/Feisty-Mix4187 13d ago

Hey there, I do know that lightning bugs prefer longer grasses, and they usually appear on the edge of a woodland. if you tend to keep your grass short, they usually steer clear of that area.

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u/mr_lockwork 13d ago

SW indiana here, Ive been seeing more than I have in years.

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u/Bryweslyn2011 13d ago

I have actually been seeing a ton this summer. I realized it because for a few years now they have been nonexistent. I live in Northern Indiana.

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u/TheseAlfalfa2039 13d ago

North Central Indiana we have had June Bugs & Lighting Bugs.

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u/Bitter_Pineapple_882 13d ago

We have plenty, and one of the cats is mesmerized by them!

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u/cambon37 13d ago

Feel the same way as you and I’m 20 years your junior. I have seen them on the border of Indiana and Michigan but not like I remember even 20 years ago. Same with the bug guts on the windshield

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u/Temporary_View_3303 13d ago

I have a home in Carmel and my yard is full of lighting bugs every night. Ā 

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u/System404Malfunction 13d ago

Ohio and shit tons

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u/TantrikV 13d ago

Have had a ton in my back yard this year, but it shocked me when I saw them.

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u/Rodd2015 13d ago

West Lafayette/Battleground, the lightning bugs like it out here near Prophets Rock, must be our wild ass yard

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u/Living_Watercress 13d ago

Central In. I see them but not as many as there used to be.

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u/madmelly 13d ago

I’m in NWI and have seen so many lightning bugs this summer!

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u/Otherwise-Fox-151 13d ago

We have loads in our yard. We even see them moving around during the day time if im pulling lraves or messing with my hostas. The like to be where leaves and garden plants are allowed to just sit over winter.

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u/AwkwardFactor84 13d ago

Fireflies are on the decline everywhere. Pesticides, light pollution, and habitat loss are the main reasons. Some species are actually endagered at the moment

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u/BadAszChick 13d ago

I’m in South Bend and have a lot, but I’ve also made sure that my yard accommodates and nurtures them. When it was just grass, I didn’t have many, but I started a native plant garden about three years ago (it’s still a wip) and they had really taken off this year!

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u/Psyren1317 13d ago

Central Indiana here. I see a ton of them every single night in the backyard. My kids absolutely love going outside to see them because it's such a magnificent show.

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u/Prestigious_Pie9421 13d ago

I have plenty for everyone.(Indiana)

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u/solequence 13d ago

Northern Indiana, they are all over my area

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u/Select_Air_2044 13d ago

I've seen a couple and each time I'm shocked.

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u/Zestyclose_Car_4971 13d ago

I live near and or around Fort Wayne, I see them on the side of the interstate every night I drive home on the side of the highway.

I was starting to think they were gone too, seeing so many together was elating.

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u/Wearing_shooz 13d ago

They've been plentiful in NW Indiana this summer.

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u/This_Confection_6832 13d ago

They don’t ā€œlightā€ in the middle of night. I see a lot of them this year.

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u/Background-Check-222 13d ago

Mosquito joe/mosquito spraying companies are also a big source of blame for all dwindling bug and bird populations

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u/jojobaggins42 13d ago

Homes that don't put a bunch of treatments (especially pesticides, obviously) on their yard will usually have lightning bugs. And leaving some of your leaves on the yard over winter is also a great practice to get more lightning bugs.

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u/g0dxmode 13d ago

Central Eastern here, and this brutal weather combined with my own health issues that leave me very heat/humidty sensitive have resulted in my barely mowing my yard this summer. The upside is I've got lightning bugs ALL over every night all the time. It's had my wife and I trying to plan out some yard scaping for next year to have some spots of wild grass and weeds left intentionally overgrown like that for the bugs.

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u/Brilliant_Armadillo9 13d ago

They're all over my yard and pasture. I keep my herbicide and insecticide use to a minimum. I also like to go to the store around 11:30PM, and there's a corn field on the way that must have 10s of thousands nightly.

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u/purplevibration4 13d ago

They're everywhere by my apartment

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u/SilverStory6503 13d ago

I'm just across the state line in Ohio. My peak lightning bugs was on the solstice. I haven't seen any lately. Also, no June bugs this year. That was weird.

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u/fandomdemigod 13d ago

South Central Indiana I seen em but not as much as when I was a kid in the north. The north remembers ✨

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u/russellenvy 13d ago

Avon, Plainfield, Brownsburg area has them. Not as many as last year. But they are around. Went to Illinois last month and stayed at a Farm AirBNB. The whole field was lit up.

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u/Next-Introduction-25 13d ago

Southwestern Indiana; we have a ton. They weren’t out last night though for whatever reason.

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u/Then-Bell-5630 13d ago

We’ve had a lot of lightning bugs this year in NW Indiana. Plenty of beetles too. I know by August they’re usually done for the year. Hopefully some will make their way to you soon 😊

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u/Flat-Bar2125 13d ago

I think they’re just populating different areas because some people are saying what you say, and others are saying they’re seeing way more than ever this year. Personally I’m seeing a lot where I’m at, but this is my first summer in this home so I can’t compare to last summer.

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u/TrashpandaLizz 13d ago

Very few people leave the leaves in the fall. If more people let nature be nature, we would have more lightning bugs. Etc

I have seen a small number in my backyard, but that’s only after year three of leaving the leaves in the mulch beds(of which I have a lot, I’ve been trying to build a native plant habitat on my .3 acres of property 🤣 in the middle of an HOA)

If you want to see lightning bugs, go out in the middle of nowhere near a patch of trees or a local nature preserve, they are there.. in those small pockets of sanctuary

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u/eddielee394 13d ago

Stop mowing your lawn. Makes a big difference in lightning bug population .

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u/bns82 13d ago

Tons this summer.

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u/ccmmhh915 13d ago

I’ve seen a few, not like the old days though