Asia isn't the only home to synchronized firefly flashing. There are two known synchronized firefly species in the United States: Photinus carolinus and Phoruis frontalis. P. frontalis occurs along the Atlantic coastal plain, especially in Georgia. P. carolinus is found at Congaree Swamp National Park in South Carolina, and in high elevation areas-at least 2,000 feet-in parts of the Appalachian Mountain range, from Virginia to Georgia. Perhaps the most well known population of P. carolinus is at Elkmont in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where firefly viewing creates traffic jams. See news item below.
I also remember working at a summer camp in N. Carolina years ago with a girl from Washington State. She had never seen fireflies before, and was entranced by their displays. I was stunned that she had never seen them before, having assumed they existed all over the States. Plans to Reduce Traffic Congestion at Elkmont During Firefly Displays Date June 03, 2005 The annual lighting display of the synchronous firefly beetles in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in June has become so popular that Park managers have developed a plan to relieve traffic congestion that occurs during the peak activity period at the Little River Trailhead at Elkmont in Tennessee. Jim Carpenter Associate Professor Biology Department Lipscomb University (615) 966-5721 -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of William Silvert Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 5:10 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] fireflies I am no expert on fireflies, but I would like to mention that some fireflies in SE Asia flash in synchrony. Regions consisting of several trees can contain thousands of fireflies that all flash together, a sight which I am told is incredible and beautiful. The mechanism for this is not well known, but it is a topic of great interest to behavioural ecologists as well as researchers on complex systems. Bill Silvert ----- Original Message ----- From: "WENDEE HOLTCAMP" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 8:01 PM Subject: fireflies/ppl learn about science > FIRE-FLIES: First I'm doing an article on fireflies and it seems they're > most common (or only found?) east of the Rockies except Utah. Yet there > are > some anecdotal reports from CA and WA. Can you all tell me if any of you > currently see blinking fireflies - of any species - there are 175+ in the > US > (not all flash though). OR if you "remember" seeing them when you were a > kid. Another common report is that they are declining in some areas but no > one seems to know why - could be chemicals, could be habitat loss, could > be > light pollution, could be that people are just not outdoors enough to see > them. But can anyone confirm for me that they personally saw them as a > child > in CA or OR or WA? In the West? Or that their parents or grandparents (who > are living and I can contact) saw them out west?
