Why should I turn off my outdoor lights for fireflies?

Outdoor lights disrupt fireflies' ability to communicate and find a mate. This matters most at dusk, when fireflies are most active, so turn off your lights or put them on a motion sensor to cut down on how long they're on. Closing blinds and shutters indoors helps too, since it keeps light from spilling out into the yard.

Do I need to rake and remove my fallen leaves?

No — leave your leaves. They provide habitat for young fireflies. If you need to manage them for appearance, rake them into tree beds, under shrubs, or into a compost pile instead of bagging them up and sending them away.

Are mosquito sprays and pesticides harmful to fireflies?

Yes. Mosquito sprays, fungicides, and pesticides harm fireflies along with the rest of the life in your yard. Cutting them out saves money and time, and it protects birds, bees, and pets at home as well.

What should I do with brush and wood scraps instead of hauling them away?

Leave them in a pile rather than hauling them off. Fireflies spend one to two years as larvae living in decaying leaves, rotting wood, and healthy soil, so brush and wood piles give young fireflies a safe place to grow up.

What can I use instead of fertilizer to help fireflies?

Compost. Fertilizers harm the soil and the life in it, including fireflies, but compost feeds the soil instead. You can make a pile at home with leaves, food scraps, and other rotting material rather than buying bagged fertilizer.

Video | How to Bring Fireflies Back to Your Yard

Fireflies mark the start of another summer night, emerging at dusk to perform their nightly festival of lights. They let us hold stars in our hands, add a touch of romance to the outdoors, and lead us into our fairy tales. Fireflies are a wonderful part of summer, but their light is diminishing as their numbers decline. So today we’re talking about the best ways to have as many of them as possible next summer — because the real work starts now.

The key is to do less work, not more. Here are five ways to help fireflies call your place home.

Turn off your outdoor lights at night. Outdoor lights can be great, but they disrupt fireflies’ ability to communicate and find a mate. This matters most at dusk, when fireflies are most active, so turn off your lights or use a motion sensor to reduce how long they’re on. Use blinds and shutters inside your home to reduce the light spilling out. Keep everything dark so the lightning bugs can perform.

Save your leaves. Leaves provide habitat for young fireflies, so there’s no need to mulch them or send them away — just leave your leaves, it’s in the name. If you need to manage them, rake them into your tree beds, under your shrubs, or into a compost pile. If you want fireflies, you’re going to want your leaves.

Stop using chemicals on your property. These can be harmful not just to fireflies, but to all kinds of life that calls your yard home. That means no mosquito sprays, no fungicides, and no pesticides. It’s a really easy way to save money and time — and it also protects the birds, the bees, and your pets at home.

Leave your brush and wood scraps. Just like with the leaves, leaving your sticks and brush creates habitat for our light-up bugs. This is critical because fireflies spend one to two years as larvae in decaying leaves, rotting wood, and healthy soil. Rather than hauling all the brush away, leave it in a pile so there’s a healthy habitat for young fireflies to grow up in.

Swap fertilizers for compost. Fertilizers harm the soil and the life in it, including fireflies. So how do we keep helping our plants? With a compost pile — you can make one at home today with leaves, food scraps, and other rotting material. Stop buying fertilizer and start feeding your soil with compost today.

So remember, the best thing you can do to help fireflies is do less. No sprays. Leave the leaves and branches. And don’t forget to turn out those lights. That way we can keep the magic of our little lightning bugs alive by working with nature instead of against it — so we can enjoy their glow for years to come.