Helping people look again.
For a lot of us, fireflies belong to childhood:
summer evenings, jars with holes punched in the lid,
bare feet in the grass, and those little green flashes
appearing just after dark.
Then one day, people look around and say,
“I don’t see fireflies anymore.”
Sometimes they really are gone. But sometimes they are still there—
lower in the grass, hidden in leaf litter, flashing in places
we no longer think to look.
I Don’t See Fireflies Anymore is a public education project
built around that idea: helping people notice what is still here,
understand what they are seeing, and learn simple ways to protect it.
Because fireflies are more than a pretty summer memory.
They are part of the places we live.
The light may still be there.
When someone says, “I don’t see fireflies anymore,”
there may be more than one reason why.
Firefly populations can be affected by habitat loss,
pesticide use, artificial light at night, and changes to
the places where they feed, mate, and spend most of their lives.
But fireflies can also be remarkably easy to miss. Different
species flash at different times, heights, and locations.
Some stay close to the ground. Females may remain perched in
vegetation or hidden in leaf litter. Others may only be active
during a narrow window after sunset.
Learning where and how to look can turn an empty-looking yard
into a place full of small discoveries.
Sometimes we have simply forgotten where to look.
Practical tools for ordinary people.
This is only the beginning. New guides, presentations, field tools,
family resources, and educational materials will continue to be added
here as the project grows.
Firefly Habitat Guide
Simple, practical steps for creating a darker, safer,
more firefly-friendly corner of your yard or property.
Observation Guide
What to watch for, when to look, what to record, and how
to observe fireflies without disturbing them.
Searching for the Lights
An illustrated presentation exploring firefly behavior,
habitat, observation, and the small choices that can help.
Public Resource Website
A growing online home for firefly education, field observations,
habitat information, project updates, and future resources.
Educational Enamel Pin
A firefly enamel pin paired with an educational backing card—
a small object designed to carry the message beyond the website.
Community Outreach Materials
Resources designed to move firefly knowledge out of the field
and into homes, classrooms, libraries, groups, and communities.
Start looking now.
These resources are free to download, print, and share for personal,
educational, library, and community use. Please keep the project credit
and website information intact when sharing.
Where Did the Fireflies Go?
A two-sided beginner-friendly handout with simple ways to help
fireflies and information about the Find the Fireflies project.
Firefly Coloring Page
A printable coloring page for children who want to spend a little
more time with the lights.
This project has already begun.
I Don’t See Fireflies Anymore is still growing, but the work
is already underway. Educational guides are being developed, original
illustrations are being created for the presentation and website,
and a firefly enamel pin is being designed to help carry the message
beyond the screen.
The goal is simple: give ordinary people practical ways to notice
what is around them, understand what they are seeing, and rediscover
some of the wonder that made summer nights feel magical in the first place.
Practical resources
Habitat and observation guides are being developed to help
people know where to look, what to notice, and how to make
their own yards and properties more welcoming to fireflies.
Finding the magic again
Original artwork is being created to make the educational
presentation warm, memorable, and approachable—not just informative.
Illustrated education
Detailed firefly illustrations will help explain anatomy,
behavior, glow patterns, and the small details that are easy
to miss in the field.
A message you can carry
The enamel pin and educational backing card are still in development.
The current images are concept mockups and may change before production.
Still growing.
I Don’t See Fireflies Anymore is currently in development.
Some educational materials are already underway, while additional
guides, illustrations, presentation content, and public resources
will continue to be added as the project grows.
The Kickstarter is helping turn that work into a finished,
accessible collection of tools people can use to find, understand,
and protect the fireflies around them.
From my own yard to field research.
My name is Amber Elder. For the past several years, I have been
observing and documenting fireflies, with particular attention
to the elusive females of Photuris frontalis.
What began as careful observation at home grew into collaboration
with firefly experts and an invitation to assist researchers
searching for females at Congaree National Park.
- Years of field observation and documentation
- Focus on female Photuris frontalis
- Collaboration with firefly researchers and experts
- Community education and conservation outreach
This is only the beginning.
I Don’t See Fireflies Anymore is being built as a growing
public resource for anyone who wants to find, understand, and protect
the fireflies around them.
The first collection includes the habitat and observation guides,
Searching for the Lights, educational artwork, and the
resources already taking shape here.
But there is much more I hope to build over time: additional guides,
family and educator resources, field activities, presentations, and
other tools that help people move from wondering where the fireflies
went to actually going outside and looking.
Come back often. This site will grow with the project.
Help build the first phase.
The Kickstarter is funding the first collection of free educational
resources, along with production of the Eve enamel pin and backing card,
project materials, field equipment, digital storage and backup, artwork,
and completion of the educational presentation.
The $1,500 goal gets this first phase off the ground. If the campaign
goes beyond that, additional support gives the larger project room to
grow—strengthening the tools behind the work and helping future guides,
educational materials, and resources begin sooner.