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 Tennessee, listed in date order, alphabetically by city.
Cedar Hill:
May 23, 2005: A reader reports: From Cedar Hill , Tennessee.
It is a full moon. We have six acres of grass cut about eight inches tall, and we are surrounded by old growth forests on two sides, and open fields. No lights, but the thousands of fireflies that seem to be at full peak. We have enjoyed their light show display each night.
Chattanooga:
August 6, 2000: Clarence notes: I live in California but visited Chattanooga, Tennessee in July 2000. Our grandson was with us and was fascinated by the fireflies. He had fun catching them, as I did when I was a child. A friend of mine told me that researchers are
paying people to catch them for some kind of research. The area where we
saw them was in the suburbs of the city where lights abound.
Franklin:
July 29, 1998: A reader writes: I just spent ten days in Franklin, TN and every evening I loved to sit out on the deck and watch the fireflies. I was searching for information on fireflies, which is how I happened upon your site.
Gallatin:
July 30, 2000: A reader writes: We have an abundance of fireflies here in Gallatin, Tennessee.. We love sitting
on the porch in the evening to watch them. We have a huge field next to
us. There are lots of trees and green grass, and flowers. We also live
about five minutes from a small river. They usually come out just
after dusk and are very active for the next hour or so. Slowly dwindle
and are gone by full dark. Most any where you drive in the
country has lots of fireflies.
Jonesborough:
June 19, 2005: Adrienne Keener reports: Good Evening!! I came across your web site tonight after doing some research on the ever fascinating fireflies. I am from Palm Beach, Florida and have never seen them until I moved to Jonesborough, Tennessee, last June. I have a six year old little boy that is very fascinated by these little buggers!! Last night (June 18) we were sitting on our deck and watch in amazement on how many there were (it looked like billions) in the pasture behind our house. It looked like Christmas lights dancing in the wind. It was about 9:30 PM, clear skies and dark. I sure am sorry that you are unable to see what my son and I are seeing. I sure hope one day everybody will get to experience what we are getting to see. Good luck in your search!
Knoxville:
June 3, 2005:
A reader notes:
My back yard in Knoxville, Tennessee, has about 50 fireflies lighting up the grass. It seem as the years go
by the numbers seem to get smaller here in the city. As a child living in
Maryville Tennessee the numbers were so much greater. But the kids still catch
them and put them in a jar, just like the generation before them.
Memphis:
June 25, 1999: A reader notes: We saw about two dozen fireflies on June 23, 1999, in Memphis, Tennessee. It was about 9:39 pm and the temperature was about 85 and damp.
July 28, 1999: a reader writes: We live in Memphis, Tennessee, in the city limits, and our back yard at night in the
summer dances with light from hundreds of the beautiful glowing little bugs.
Mount Juliet:
June 14, 2005: Steve Tibbs notes:
A bunch of Lampyridae here in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Ten or so can be
seen at anytime.
Nashville:
April 18, 2003: A reader reports: For the past week or so I've seen fireflies in my yard here in Nashville, Tennessee. They stay high in the trees, but they are flying from tree to tree. Any ideas about what kind of firefly I have? There are not nearly as many as in the summer. Thanks
June 28, 2001: A reader writes: I'm tickled to find your website. Originally from Southern California I had
never seen fireflies until I moved to the South. They're precious. I look
forward to seeing fireflies every summer in Nashville, Tennessee, but there are fewer
each year. Anything I can do to help them multiply?
Niota:
April 13, 2003: A reader notes: I first spotted fireflies on April 12th, 2003 which seems very early in the year. I live in in the rural part of Niota/Athens, McMinn County, Tennessee. It was 57 degrees out. The time was approximately 9:30 p.m.
Spotted only a handful. On
April 13th, I watched at least a dozen or more lighting
up the night. The area is partially wooded with open fields.
Southwest Tennessee:
July 17, 2000: Linda Motyka notes: My family and I used to visit relatives in southwest Tennessee every summer
and that's where I saw my first firefly. We called them lightning bugs back
then. Two nights ago I was sitting on my patio here in Orlando, Florida
about 10:30 p.m. and spotted 3 of them. I took it as a good omen. My
boyfriend had just proposed. And I said. "yes."