Want Fireflies to Light Up Your Garden? These 5 Simple Steps Will Make Them Feel Safe and Welcomed

Step out during the night to tread through a forest, and you spot tiny orbs emitting a surreal golden glow. These glowing orbs, a.k.a. fireflies, are sensitive pockets that embody a mysterious chemistry that enables them to “create light” in their butts. Every year, during rains, zillions of fireflies congregate in the dense, leafy forests of India, Southeast Asia, and Mexico to attract their mates with their light, according to PBS Terra.vPeople across the world yearn to collect them in glass jars but here are five simple ways you can invite them straight into your garden, as experts shared with Homes & Gardens.

Keep it dark

Although not all fireflies restrict themselves to the dark, most of them do. Typically, fireflies prefer darkness to reveal themselves. They prefer to use their own bioluminescence to attract mates and mate with them. “If the insects compete with other lights, it will be hard for them to see each other, making it difficult for them to breed,” explains Martha Stewart. So the first and best thing you can do to attract fireflies is to turn off unnecessary lights.

In addition, you should avoid harsh artificial lights. “Artificial lights confuse fireflies and interfere with their mating flashes, so the darker your yard is, the better your chances of seeing fireflies light up within it,” Ed Dolshun, vice president of business development at Catchmaster pest control, said while speaking to Homes & Gardens. An ideal light combo would be dim plus soothing. While the dimly lit setting will make it easier for you to navigate the garden, the soothing flare will not disturb the fireflies’ senses.

Stop using pesticides and insecticides

If you’ve sprayed a whole can of pesticides or insecticides in your grass today, don’t be surprised if you don’t see even a single firefly glow during the night. The smell of these chemicals repels the twinkle-oozing creatures. Instead, they prefer something fragrant and aromatic, like flowers.  

Use leveling and layering 

The goal is to make your garden setting dreamy, enchanting, and inviting for the fireflies. And fireflies are known to enjoy a garden that is dense and leafy rather than a perfectly manicured lawn. Sprinkle your space with elements like tall grasses, thick shrubbery, dense bushels, raised garden beds, logs, trellises, plants of varying heights, and vertical planters. Nicole Carpenter, president of Black Pest Prevention, added that fireflies are attracted to layers.

“The more vertical variety, the better when it comes to fireflies. They love messy margins, places where trees and grass meet, and where there are some wilder-kept garden beds,” explained Carpenter.

Give them their own little corner

When fireflies are still in their larval stage, they are known as “glowworms.” These glowworms need damp surfaces and moist leaves to crawl and grow. If you rake away all the leaves, thinking that they are trash, these glowworms will lose their habitat. Many of them won’t even survive, per NWF. And if they don’t survive, they won’t be able to eat up the pests, snails, and slugs that invade your garden from time to time. They won’t be able to pollinate your flowering plants and sip their nectar.

Plus, turf grass doesn’t provide a sufficient habitat for them to grow into adults. Therefore, if you desire to attract fireflies, just go a little wild and leave those autumnal leaf litter and woody debris splattered on the garden grass. “The more natural you make your garden ideas, the more you'll encourage fireflies not just to visit, but to keep coming back,” an expert said.

Add a water source

Like every insect, fireflies need water. So, adding a water source will always be one of the main attracting factors. Added to the water itself, the sound of dripping and ripping water is a nice lure to woo these glowing jewels to set your garden ablaze in a shimmering shower. "These can be anything from a small plastic in-ground pond to a solar-powered birdbath," David Burrows, who works in saving pollinators, told Martha Stewart.

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