If you close your eyes and think of a classic Indiana summer night, what do you see? For most of us, it is a warm, humid evening on the porch, highlighted by the mesmerizing blink of fireflies rising from the grass. It is a quintessential Hoosier experience, but one that so many kids today won’t get the opportunity to experience. Our night skies that used to be thick with blinking gold and green are growing quieter, darker, and emptier.

Our fireflies, along with so many native insects, are in trouble. The good news? The remedy is right outside your back door. As members of the Indiana Wildlife Federation, we have a unique opportunity to transform our properties from ecological deserts into thriving wildlife habitats.

Many people disassociate fireflies from insects, thinking fireflies are great, but bucketing all the others as “pests.” Insects are the foundational engine of our food chain. Without them, the entire structure of Indiana’s wildlife collapses.

Northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) and Ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) are not insectivorous, yet without insects they would be extinct! They cannot feed their babies seeds, berries, or nectar; they need soft, protein-rich insects. A single Ruby-throat must consume 2000 insects and spiders a day for 20 days to raise their brood. That means she must catch upwards of 40,000 of these “pests” in order to give the next generation a chance! When we wipe out the insect population, we are effectively starving our local bird populations, small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.

Fireflies, which are actually beetles, play their own crucial role. In their larval stage, they are voracious predators living in the soil and leaf litter. They act as natural pest control, devouring slugs, snails, and cutworms that can damage our gardens.

For decades, Americans have been conditioned to chase a specific aesthetic: the golf-course-perfect, pristine, neon-green lawn. Unfortunately, this obsession with manicured perfection has turned our neighborhoods into ecological dead zones. The two biggest culprits are synthetic lawn products and commercial pest control services.

The synthetic fertilizers, weed-killers, and preventative grubbicides applied to millions of lawns across Indiana do far more than kill dandelions. They fundamentally alter the soil biology. Firefly larvae spend up to two years living in the dirt and damp soil before emerging as adults. When we drench our lawns in chemical cocktails, we poison the very ground these larvae depend on for survival.

Even more damaging is the rise of automated or monthly “mosquito control” sprays. These commercial services often market themselves as safe, natural, or targeted solutions. This is not true. The pyrethroid-based insecticides used in these broad-spectrum sprays do not discriminate between a mosquito and a lightning bug, a monarch butterfly, or a native bumblebee.

When a property is sprayed for mosquitoes, the chemical coats the leaves of bushes, trees, and tall grasses, places adult fireflies rest during the day. When the fireflies wake up at dusk and crawl out to start their light show, they come into contact with these toxins and die. This method is not targeted, it is indiscriminate, wiping out ALL insects, and destroying our natural food chain.

If we want to bring back the glow, we have to change how we manage our land. Transitioning your yard into a wildlife haven doesn’t mean letting it become an overgrown eyesore; it means practicing intentional, ecological land stewardship. Here are the most effective steps you can take today.

You don’t have to surrender your yard to mosquitoes to save the fireflies. Instead of broad-spectrum chemical warfare, use a targeted, eco-friendly alternative like a  Mosquito Dunk Bucket.

How it works: Fill a five-gallon bucket with water and add a handful of straw, hay, or grass clippings. Let it sit in the sun for a few days to ferment. This creates an irresistible, stagnant oasis for female mosquitoes looking to lay their eggs.

The secret weapon: Drop in a “Mosquito Dunk” or “Mosquito Bit.” These contain Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), a naturally occurring bacterium.

If you can’t find Bti at your local store, click the link —->

Bti exclusively kills the larvae of mosquitoes, blackflies, and fungus gnats. It is completely harmless to humans, pets, birds, frogs, and fireflies. The mosquitoes lay their eggs in your bucket, and the lifecycle stops right there.

Don’t forget to put a top on so small mammals, birds and herps can’t get stuck and drown.

Our native insects evolved alongside native plants. Cultivating a landscape rich in Indiana-native flora is the single fastest way to invite wildlife back to your yard. Certified Wildlife Habitats is a great place to start!

Incorporate native keystone species like Oaks (Quercus), Willows (Salix), and Sunflowers (Helianthus), which support hundreds of species of caterpillars.

Fireflies love moisture and shelter. Plant native grasses like Switchgrass or Little Bluestem, and dense native shrubs like Buttonbush and Elderberry. These plants provide the humid, shaded microclimates adult fireflies need to stay hydrated during the hot summer days.

One of the easiest things you can do for fireflies is, ironically, nothing at all.

This fall, resist the urge to rake every single leaf into plastic bags for the landfill. Leaf litter is the nursery of the firefly, and so many of our native insects. It provides the damp insulation that protects firefly larvae and their prey through the harsh Indiana winter. Dedicate a corner of your yard, or the spaces beneath your trees and shrubs, as a “no-rake zone.” Your soil, your plants, and your local lightning bugs will thank you.

Fireflies communicate through light. Male fireflies flash specific patterns while flying to advertise their fitness, and females flash back from the ground to guide them in.

With too much light pollution, fireflies cannot see each other’s signals. It is the human equivalent of trying to have a conversation in the Snake Pit during the Indy 500! To help them find love in the dark, turn off outdoor lights when they aren’t needed, use motion sensors, or switch your bulbs to a warm amber or yellow hue, which is much less disruptive to nocturnal wildlife.

The decline of our wildlife can feel like an overwhelming global crisis, but YOUR YARD is the frontline of recovery. By refusing to treat our yards as sterile rugs and instead embracing them as living ecosystems, we can make a measurable difference.

Imagine the impact if every member of the Indiana Wildlife Federation took these steps. We can ensure that the next generation of Hoosiers grows up with the same magical summer nights that we were blessed to experience.

Let’s put away the chemicals, plant for the future, and turn the lights back on for Indiana’s fireflies.

Thank you for your continued dedication to protecting Indiana’s wildlife and wild places.

With Love of Wildlife:

Dan Boritt

Executive Director