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Sara M. Lewis, a firefly expert at Tufts University, has studied attraction to the insects' cold, chemical light — both the insects' mates that flock to the glow and the humans who do, too.
Lewis estimated that 200,000 tourists across the planet traveled to observe fireflies in 2016. Synchronous fireflies, species that blink by the hundreds in unison, are a big draw; in other places the beetles have cultural significance, such as Japan, where riverside parks hold summer firefly festivals.
Ecotourism can bring positive attention to fireflies but can also threaten them, as Lewis told me for a story this week about the global threats to fireflies. Tourists in Thailand may wish to see Pteroptyx fireflies, unaware that the motorboat traffic erodes the mangrove river habitat, as Lewis and her study authors pointed out.
In the Smoky Mountains, Lewis said, the National Park Service has had a "hard time" accommodating the 20,000 or more people who travel to a small area to watch fireflies each year. Because many species have ground-based larval stages, wayward footsteps from people watching the hovering bugs can hurt young insects. The service has instituted a lottery for spaces during the event and lists proper firefly "etiquette" on its website: Stick to the footpaths and don't aim flashlights at the insects.
There are ways to watch fireflies gently, Lewis said. The Fireflyers International Network (a group of scientists, conservationists and firefly fans) held its 2017 meeting in Taiwan, and the group visited a preserve designed for watching the insects. Raised walkways allowed people to walk above the habitat, guided by "interpretive signage." Artificial lights were banned.
"So they have a really safe way for people to walk through the habitat at night," Lewis said, "see the fireflies and not disturb the courtship rituals."
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