There was a sad story in The New York Times the other day about the decline of fireflies in Southeast Asia, due to human encroachment on their habitat, particularly from intrusive lighting that discourages these pulsing, luminescent beetles from mating. The story doesn’t elaborate on the point, but ecotourism to see the fireflies also seems to be a culprit. Here’s part of the story:
The people who live along the Mae Klong River here, an hour south of Bangkok, offer the kind of anecdotal evidence that has caused concern. A generation ago, they say, the flashing trees were so thick along the riverbank that they served almost as beacons for boaters in the night.
“The light from the fireflies helped us see the curves and junctions of those canals at night and helped us paddle through,” said Klao Sakulnum, 68, who has lived here since she was a child.
Fishermen worked in their nighttime glow, said Pisit Ek Thaiprasert, 40, a firefly conservationist who lives near here. Before electricity arrived, he said, villagers put them in bottles to provide a dim light inside their mosquito nets, about as strong as a cellphone screen.
Since then, he said, development and firefly tourism have reduced their population along this part of the river by two-thirds.
Here’s some background reading on fireflies.
The photo comes from a web site about organic gardening in Michigan.
strange behaviors 