CLN has published three posts on Fireflies – Starlit Earth, Arcadian Rhythms…. And Parked Enroute, and The Magic of Fireflies: A Call to Conserve .
World Fireflies Day is a rare and magical invitation to reconnect with nature’s silent, glowing messengers – fireflies. For those living in Coorg or similar regions, this day is an opportunity to witness a natural phenomenon that is slowly disappearing from many parts of the world.
By simply taking a walk through your estate, forest path, or clearing between 8 and 9 PM on July 5–6, you become part of a global movement to appreciate and conserve these tiny wonders. We would be delighted to share your experience with other readers of CLN – please upload images and notes in the comment section.
How do I describe Fireflies – I have lived with them for 84 years! When I was a child, our land was full of them – sparkling in the night sky, the magic of which can never be replaced by commercial sparklers.
I followed them to Chikmagalur where I worked for several years and then my heart longed to be back in my home at Parane – where the air is pure, the light is clear, and I can “feel” Nature like no other place in my Universe. And fireflies are an integral part of that experience – sadly I see much fewer of them. A sign of our times – they call it progress – I call it human greed.
They are the serials of childhood memories in Monsoon. We used to go behind these in the night,and operated these innocents to comprehend the cause of emission.
This is called ”menpuri” in Tulu, meaning ‘insect’ of fire. In our region, people used to compare this to the character who always seeks greater importance in a role. (It says without me, there is no light here.)
Thank you for reminding me of a divine memory.
I have witnessed them in plenty in summer and winter months but I see them not, any more. The extensive use of pesticides, especially on pepper vines, is a significant cause for their disappearance over the years.
Sadly, I haven’t seen fireflies in ages.
I last saw them in Thiashola in 1990 , on my first stint there.
They are so susceptible to pollution that any small imbalance will finish them off.
Images shot at Theralu, Coorg.
We get busy with facilitating life needs and forget life.
Appreciate the efforts towards creating awareness.
Fun Facts about Fireflies! — Bee Better Naturally with Helen Yoest https://share.google/WbdQIM7AGqqOUNQeo
Brings back lots of childhood memories on our coffee plantations in Mudigere… such a miracle of Nature. We used to take the insects to our room, turn of the lights and “feel” it’s glow!
The great coincidence is that we have thousands of these angelic fireflies come to our thickly wooded backyard at Charlotte. Our cat 🐈⬛ “Snickers” loves to see these gorgeous fireflies in wonderment – and we join him for endless hours soaking in the miraculous blinking light – which has a definite pattern, when I think about it in hindsight. Will look out tonight for sure.
As someone who spent significant portions of their childhood in Coorg, seeing fireflies light up the trees was pure magic. Those glowing nights are an indelible childhood memory, and reading this article reminds me of how special and fragile those moments are. I hope we can all work to protect the fireflies- would love to join any initiatives/groups!
This is taking me back to my childhood memories almost 30 years ago, where as kids we used to wonder how this tiny fly can carry such glorious light with them and brighten the surroundings which is no match to current technology. Unfortunately it is a rare sight to witness these heavenly flies in the midst of busy lifestyle. Lucky are those residing in Coorg and witnessing such spectacular nights👏💐
Takes me back decades ago to a little village called Vechoor in Kerala.. where the fireflies had created a different world for us! Remember being fascinated and quite struck by the experience!
This article takes my mind back to over 70-80 years ago when I was a young boy. The magical spectacle of “minna pulus” was an outstanding spectacle. Thanks to zero pollution of light 💡, much more tree cover (every inch of land has been converted to coffee plantations) and chemical spraying and use of pesticides, these fires flies were providing us light at night in the months of April and May. Bats and other birds were natural predators and preyed on these insects.
When we went for evening functions including Oorukuduva, village Nammes – these wonderful insects provided us the most glorious light. They would descend and sit on our palms and we used to play with them in wonder of Nature’s creation.
These occasions are useful reminders for us to preserve Nature for future generations.
I have been witnessing this grand spectacle for over 25 years. In Kodagu, it is best seen between mid-April to mid-May. However, with changes in weather patterns one can witness them even now, if lucky!
It is good to see CLN Online highlighting such phenomena to promote awareness amongst those residing in Kodagu. However, I would sincerely request that such “spots” be kept as a local secret to avoid irresponsible hordes of tourists destroying the magic of these locations. They are sacred!!
Sadly, fireflies are disappearing due to light pollution and habitat loss. On Fireflies Day, let’s commit to protecting their natural habitats by turning off unnecessary lights and supporting conservation. Fireflies thrive in moist, grassy areas and forests. If you want to see more fireflies in your area, avoid pesticides and keep wild spaces natural.
Love CLN’s most relevant posts on everything related to Kodagu, Kodavamme, Environment and matters relating to our beloved land.
Fireflies in full cry is one of Nature’s exceptional theatrical experiences. I wish I could be on my estate this evening – in Bangalore it is very difficult to “experience” this phenomenon.
If you want to witness a real life AVATAR movie, step out to darkness of night and fill your eyes with magical light of fire flies..
I have personally experienced fireflies congregating on particular trees and the sight is truly magical. Would like the experts to let us know what drives the fireflies to gather in large numbers on particular trees and which part of the year this happens. We can also work on small groups who are interested in this activities.