Wait, Have You Seen Any Fireflies in West Michigan Yet?

Back at the start of June I thought of something I hadn't thought of in months: fireflies. I happened to be outside of my home in Allegan and thought I saw some faint flickering lights dancing across my backyard, but wasn't entirely sure I could trust my vision either.

Call them what you will-- fireflies or lightning bugs--it seems as though I'm not the only west Michigan resident wondering where the lightshow is! Kalamazoo local Lunah Lisbon turned to her fellow Michganders in the Michigan Weather Facebook group asking,

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Who has fireflies? Normally they’re all over Kalamazoo by now and I haven’t seen a single one.

Lunah seemed to be disheartened by the situation and I don't blame her! Not only a sure sign of summer's arrival, I'm sure we're all flooded with memories of simpler times at the sight of these flicking beetles.

According to the Farmers' Almanac, the larvae lives underground during the winter months, they mature during spring, and then "emerge in early summer anywhere from the third week in May to the third week in June."

It's hard to accurately predict when you'll see the floating lights of the fireflies dancing across your yard because the timeframe changes from year to year. However, what scientists do know is that rainfall and temperature play a roll. With the wet spring we've had and a recent heat wave, is that the reason for the hold up?

It appears west Michigan may be alone in this as residents from elsewhere in Michigan have already reported sightings this year, especially in mid-Michigan.

• "Lots and lots in Owosso!" - Leeann Fecho-Bradley
  
• "I've been watching them here at my house for over a week now. Between Durand and Byron, MI" - Ashley Nance
• "Been seeing them in Royal Oak for about a week; seems early for us." - Jeffrey Sauger

Have you seen any fireflies in your backyard yet this year?