Butterfly Pavilion’s Firefly Lifecycle Project
July 1, 2022 · Uncategorized
Butterfly Pavilion aims to understand the husbandry and rearing of fireflies in preparation for restoration of wild populations of fireflies suffering from habitat loss in Colorado.
Did you know that Colorado has native fireflies?
Most people are unaware of this due to light pollution and development destroying their habitat. To conserve fireflies and their habitat, Butterfly Pavilion is studying how to breed and raise fireflies under human care. Check out this video to experience our most recent collection in Fort Collins!
Fourteen species of fireflies in North America are threatened with extinction, and one species was petitioned for an emergency Endangered Species Act listing in 2019. The imperiled status of wild firefly populations makes understanding their environmental needs for survival a pressing topic. Breeding fireflies under human care in the US has only been intermittently accomplished in academic settings. In 2022, Butterfly Pavilion continued our project to study, breed, and raise these animals under human care to develop industry best practices, determine their potential for display in outdoor zoo exhibits, and gain insight to inform future efforts to reintroduce native firefly species into the wild. As their native wetland habitats continue to be lost due to development and to light and water pollution, it is important that we continue to study what fireflies need to survive and reproduce in both lab settings and natural habitats. Last year, we continued to study how over-wintering firefly larvae at different temperatures affects their transformation from larvae to pupae. Butterfly Pavilion is committed to making fireflies a part of every Coloradan experience, and our goal is to have fireflies in our new facility when it opens in 2027. You can play a role in the conservation of fireflies by reducing light pollution stress that affects fireflies and other nocturnal animals. By supporting Butterfly Pavilion, you are supporting local and global research and conservation programs like this one!
Learn about our other important research programs, and support our mission by making a donation today!
