To submit your own report email burger@burger.com
Please include your city/town and state, and the date of your sighting. Include as many details as you can, such as numbers of fireflies, location (rural/city/wooded area, etc), temperature, time, and so on. Thanks for helping with this project.
Below are reports from South Carolina, listed in date order, alphabetically by city.
Greer:
May 27, 2012: A reader notes:
Saw a single firefly tonight. We were sitting outside at dusk and I thought it was a fire ember, but there was no fire around. I followed it into the woods. It was clearly a firefly. Had no clue there were any in this area of Perry Park Ranch, Larkspur, Colorado.
May 20, 2012: A reader notes:
I'm not sure if your website is still active or if your still recording firefly sightings, but as this is the first I've ever seen fireflies (just moved to South Carolina from california) I thought I would email you. I saw them in Greer, South Carolina, (Greenville country) on 5/20/2012, at around 9 pm, It is 78 and a clear night, we are in city limits but its wooded and we have a creek that runs around our house. They were on the other side of the creek so I can't tell how many (and they move around) but there seemed to be a dozen maybe. Thanks!
Huntington Beach:
May 14, 2011: A reader writes: At approximately 8:00 p.m. in
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina, off US 17, Murrells Inlet, Horry County, coastal South Carolina:
On the two or so mile-long, paved pedestrian path known as the "Straight Path" by the nature observers who congregate there. (Runs directly west of Atalaya, the home of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntingtons when Brookgreen Gardens was under construction.) I was shocked; I had no idea fireflies occur in South Carolina.
Number observed was about 50 in the space of five minutes.
Iva:
1994 A reader writes: I came from a small town called Iva, South Carolina, where I lived on my 25 acre farm for 11 years... while living there, I enjoyed an evening ritual that I participated in every evening in the warm weather months from April-November or so, depending on the particular climate idiosyncracies...anyway, every evening after supper, about 6:00-6:30 or so, I would go out on my big covered back porch or up on my covered upper deck which overlooked my back paddock and yards. Every night in the warm months, I enjoyed the magic of dusk while all of my barn cats came and nestled up next to me in my recliner and we would watch the lightnin' bugs as they would begin their evening dance at the edge of the woods at the paddock fence line. They would begin there and then I would realize that they were becoming more apparent and numerous in other parts of the yards. By the time it was black-dark, I couldn't see any fences or shrubs or trees, but the lightnin' bugs were everywhere. I moved from my farm in 1994, I think, and they were still there at that time. Iva is about 20 miles above Anderson SC (which is 30 miles south of Greenville SC) just off of I-85 and there were no mosquito control spray trucks or bright city lights (or pollution to speak of). In fact, it was so dark, that the stars seemed to be about a block away from my roof, where I frequently went to just lay on my back and enjoy the night sky.
South Carolina:
July 2, 1999: a reader notes: Hi! Gosh, we just moved to South Carolina from Galveston and we have an absolutely magical backyard. It is totally light up with these fantastic little creatures. Thank you for your web site-I've been looking for some info on them and yours was the first I've found. I will make a point of sitting out this evening and enjoying their 'display' for you!
Spartanburg:
June 8, 2002: Frances Broome reports: In Spartanburg, South Carolina, June 6, 2002, I saw the first
fireflies of the season. I noticed them right before dark. We live in a
subdivision around 15 miles from the city proper, where the yards are
quite large. Our yard is shaded by large trees, and on a cul-de-sac.
There were just a few, I'd guess 10-11. The temp was around 70 degrees.
No wind, rain was predicted but didn't appear.
I had, however, just watered the lawn, and my neighbors had watered
theirs.
Keep up the good work to bring these wonderfully mysterious creatures
back. Years ago fireflies were too numerous to count.