Firefly Extinction Imminent

Upon joining ATS, 'Fireflies' was the first thread I clicked on and read.

It was a suspenseful little short story written by ATSer 'Purpapengus'. (Looking forward to a sequel! It's threat # 1237733 in ATS short stories if anyone's interested)

Today I searched fireflies onGoogle and first link that came up was that 70% of the firefly population is gone. (Sorry if this already been discussed on ATS; I'm a newb!)

Then on YT a short vid (below, if shows properly) explained some reasons fireflies will go extinct during our children's lifetimes.

Why SO suddenly? I also notice the sun and sky look way, way different than just a decade ago.

And it's not too many years ago that there would be so many around on warm summer nights. Now soon there will be none. What next? Us??

a reply to: Artesia

The first, and only firefly I've ever seen was on a trip to Washington DC in 2006. It was also my daughter's first and only, she was 4. She doesn't remember, I'll never forget.

A bit of beauty and wonder gone. Who cares? There are a lot of things going away. Who cares about bugs? And fish. And animals. It's too hard to stop.
extinction

a reply to: Artesia

For the last two years there have been a ton of fireflies on my property. My yard is natural with some native plantings. I do not cut the lawn begining in spring until mid summer to fall. NO roundup EVER. It looks magical- so pretty.

How nice! My gut feelings were chemtrails and chems like roundup, so glad to hear theres still lots in your yard, somehow!

Most people continue to obsess over perfectly glyphosated lawns just to look at, those that can actually afford their own or rented house than high-rise apartment.

Never quite understood why lawns are a symbol of the American dream.. cuz they do nothing except maybe look more aesthetic than just all pavement.

originally posted by: Artesia
How nice! My gut feelings were chemtrails and chems like roundup, so glad to hear theres still lots in your yard, somehow!

Most people continue to obsess over perfectly glyphosated lawns just to look at, those that can actually afford their own or rented house than high-rise apartment.

Never quite understood why lawns are a symbol of the American dream.. cuz they do nothing except maybe look more aesthetic than just all pavement.

Most lawns here have river rock accents with natural lawns. However , some people they mow them in the spring which eliminates the spring and summer wildflowers.

Then on top of that we still have some that love their perfect weed free green lawns that they dump weed and feed, roundup, and so much water on that it is ridiculous.

I like my lawn with the wildflowers like blue bonnets, black eyed Susan's , Indian paint brushes, and the monarch butterfly loving milk weed. Nature knows what it is doing if we would just back off the chemicals. Added bonus- it's easier to maintain as well.:

a reply to: Artesia

Purp, is that you doing promo for your stories?

I expected a moribund vibe in the video. The music and the VO create an ironic aesthetic when she talks about the demise of the species.

When I was a boy, my family drove through what seemed like a plague of some sort of large glowing insects while on a road trip. You could really hear those things "splat" on the windshield.

What's noteworthy about the story is that my family had to have been in either Oregon, Washington, California, or Nevada on the trip, but it's common knowledge that there are virtually no fireflies in the Western US. (There are, technically, but the western US fireflies have lost adult flashing.)

Do you know what this means?

My VERY FIRST Mandella Effect! If you'll excuse me, I have a new thread to write...

Welcome to ATS and thanks for posting! I'm pretty new here myself (officially).

Generations before me claim that when growing up the entire ditches of the roads and fields would glow with how many fireflies there were. And even in my lifetime I've noticed a drastic decline every summer I'm back in my home town compared to when I was growing up. Really sad and disappointing.

Totally with you on the sun and skies, those chemtrails are without a doubt affecting a lot more than acknowledged. It blows my mind that people don't recognize that what we consider 'normal' skies has deviated completely.

Also the video briefly mentioned noise affecting them, I wonder if its possible that other frequencies on the light spectrum that we can't see might be affecting them as well.

After ten years of no fireflies around here, all of a sudden we had some maybe four years back. But only two summers of them in any numbers. I didn't see anymore last summer, what a bummer. Hopefully they will be back this summer, if we ever get a summer.

a reply to: Artesia

I would not worry, though 99.9% of species that existed are extinct. Its always the bigger animals that go first. Chances are the the firefly's and the Cockroaches and other such little critters will out-survive the human race. The flies were still buzzing around, before and after the dinos went the way of well? The dinos.

Though I have not seen fireflies around in a long while. But then again they don't breed were I am at generally.

a reply to: Artesia

Fireflies are not going extinct.

When I was young, the summer nights were full of them. I spent many an hour catching (and releasing... usually; I did make a firefly nightlight once) fireflies. When I moved back home, there were few fireflies left. I found out that was because my stepfather liked to use poison to try and get rid of the ticks we seemed to have too many of. I of course put an end to that and got some free range chickens. Now we have fireflies again. I have already seen a few this year, so it should be a good summer for them.

If anything is killing them, it's fake environmentalists... you know, the ones who think all nature is Bambi frolicking through rays of sunshine while birds above sing in perfect harmony? Yeah, those guys. They destroy everything they touch. They'll find an ant-bed and, instead of just stomping on the thing, they'll fill it full of poison. Weeds in their grass? Bambi can't frolic in weeds! Roundup, help me keep Bambi happy!

I mow my yard once a week (about), and leave a few areas of high grass around the edges. In the early spring, I wait to mow it until it starts really getting shaggy, because it's also full of those little flowers that the fireflies like (because the bugs fireflies like also like to nibble on the flowers). Weeds? Those ain't weeds... they're mostly plantain... edible (and a good natural pest repellent). Is my yard the most manicured around? Nope! Not by a long shot. But it's the one that every year is alive with fireflies at night and songbirds (including hummingbirds) during the day, and every year sprouts a treasure trove of brightly colored blooms.

I like it like that.

So don't worry, OP... the doom porn is just that: manufactured, pre-packaged fear of the ridiculous to better assuage their own conscience for not having any idea what they're doing. Fireflies are only going extinct where the "environmentalists" are killing them off.

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

Your results may vary from a wider view.

But good for you, encourage them (and other critters) to prosper.

a reply to: Phage

Phage, no one created fireflies. They were ere long before mankind ever stood upright and made a speech to get elected. They have been here throughout our history. As another poster said, they could easily outlast us. We don't need to do anything to help them survive; about everything we normally to do appear "civilized" hurts them. That's the problem. The more we try to protect the little bugs, the harder we make it for them to survive. Leave them alone.

I know, I know... it doesn't make sense. We have to help the lightning bugs!

It doesn't have to make sense. It works.

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

Phage, no one created fireflies.

And you call yourself a Christian.

We don't need to do anything to help them survive; about everything we normally to do appear "civilized" hurts them. That's the problem.

Indeed.

a reply to: Phage

And you call yourself a Christian.

You know what I meant.

You have not lived until you stand in the middle of an acre of freshly mowed grass on a warm summer night and watch hundreds of harmless little bugs break up the night with pinpoint lights all around you. Seeing one is not seeing them. Seeing a thousand, sure... a hundred maybe...

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

Like I said. I saw one, once, and my girl's reaction was the best part.

Maybe someday I'll be in a part of the country where there are a lot of them. But I'm sure that I've seen marvelous things that you haven't either. So, we both are lacking.

a reply to: Phage

Agreed. I have never seen the Hawaiian surf, not have I looked down on the mountains while hooked to a hang glider.

Neither of us will ever get to see everything, but I see no shame in recommending something I have seen to others.

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

No shame in recommendation. But a pretty great joy in showing someone something awesome for the first time.
It would be cool if you could show me a herd of fireflies.

How much do you weigh? Maybe we could do a tandem flight.

from what i have seen fireflies have been making a comeback the last several years. i thought they were pretty much extinct in the 90's. back then it was getting extremely rare to see one. but a few years ago they started to be seen again. and not just one or two but fields full of them, just like when i was a kid again.

We are setting things up for our turn.. More poison and plastic.. We will never be better

a reply to: Phage

It would be cool if you could show me a herd of fireflies.

Come to Alabama in the early summer sometime. I'll be happy to oblige. Bring the girl. I promise to keep the guy playing "Dueling Banjos" away.

How much do you weigh? Maybe we could do a tandem flight.

Down to 150 or so since the surgery. Can't seem to gain it back. Normal weight was around 180ish.

TheRedneck