Count Fireflies this summer with Clemson University Researchers

This summer researchers at Clemson University want you to count fireflies. Michelle Cook, project co-leader and associate professor of science education in Clemson’s Eugene T. Moore School of Education, says this is the fifth year of the Clemson University Vanishing Firefly Project. “We are asking the public to participate as citizen-scientists to help us count fireflies each summer. The idea behind this is to know if fireflies are vanishing.” The data will be collected over several years from different habitats across South Carolina, the U.S. and other countries to determine the impact of human activity on firefly populations, continues Cook. “There are lots of things that we are doing in our environments, like the use of herbicides and insecticides and the way we use land. So, we are just trying to look at correlations between the local community and environment and even nationwide in how many fireflies we have in those areas. We suspect that fireflies are one of those indicator species that tell us how healthy our environment is.” Count the number of fireflies you see in your field of vision in 60 seconds, adds Cook. “It’s an easy activity to do. We have developed mobile phone apps, both Android and IOS, so the public can count. It’s easy enough for children to do. So, we are just trying to get as much participation as possible because these kids of questions are answered with a lot of long-term data.” Those interested in counting fireflies this summer are encouraged to begin immediately and count throughout the summer. For information about downloading the counting apps or accessing videos or other information, visit the Vanishing Firefly Project website.