This program is presented in partnership with Lexington Living Landscapes.

One of the great joys of this time of year is looking for fireflies, and depending on where you live, you may not even have to leave your own yard or neighborhood. This talk will provide an overview of local firefly species, their fascinating biology, questions we continue to explore, and how you can identify and monitor them in the field. Through the Mass. Audubon Society Firefly Watch Community Science Project you can watch fireflies while also collecting data on their populations to help us conserve these beetles in all their amazing diversity. The conclusion of this talk will introduce these conservation efforts and briefly discuss the process of entering observation data as part of the Firefly Watch project.

Dr. Christopher Cratsley began researching fireflies as a doctoral student at Tufts University, and has continued this research for over 20 years as a Professor of Biology at Fitchburg State University. Dr. Cratsley studies firefly flash signals and the interaction of fireflies and potential predators. He also collaborates with the Massachusetts Audubon Society on a community science project, Firefly Watch, focused on monitoring firefly populations in North America.  Both through Firefly Watch, and as a science educator, Dr. Cratsley uses fireflies as an ambassador insect to educate the public about the natural world.

Co-sponsored by the Lexington Conservation Division.