A Tiktok video recently panicked the canvas: “We are the latest generation to see fireflies”. Over 6.4 million likes and thousands of comments full of nostalgia. But does this dramatic affirmation correspond to scientific reality?
When social networks feed eco-anxiety
In our time marked by what experts call a “polycris” – this convergence of climatic, ecological and social crises which are amplifying each other – it becomes easy to give in to catastrophism. The fireflies, these little luminous beetles that enchant our summer evenings, have become the perfect symbol of this environmental fragility.
The craze around this publication reflects a legitimate collective anxiety. Between global warming, collapse of biodiversity and generalized pollution, our planet effectively crosses a critical period. But to act effectively, it is still necessary to distinguish the true threats from viral exaggerations.
What reveals research on fireflies
A major study published in April 2024 sheds precious scientific light on the state of fireflies in North America. Directed by Darin McNeil of the University of Kentucky, this research is based on more than 24,000 observations collected by citizens of the Firefly Watch program.
The results confirm that these insects face considerable challenges. Climate change disrupts their reproductive cycles: these creatures that thrive in hot and humid summers suffer from temperature variations and changes in precipitation diets. Too much drought kills their larvae, while excessive rains flood their reproductive sites.
Galloping urbanization is another major threat. The expansion of cities nibbles their natural habitats – these areas of high herbs and stagnant water essential for their reproduction. More insidiously, the light pollution of the lampposts and commercial signs blurs their light signals, disturbing their mating rituals which rest entirely on bioluminescence.
@evenaged We are the last generation to see fireflies.
♬ original sound – Jay – Spotify
Agriculture, threatens and refuge both
The impact of modern agriculture reveals all the complexity of the problem. The massive use of pesticides and herbicides undeniably contributes to the decline of the populations of fireflies, these chemicals destroying both their prey and exercising direct toxicity on insects.
Paradoxically, certain agricultural areas have the highest fireflies of fireflies. This apparent contradiction is explained by the diversity of practices: grazing cattle, for example, can maintain these grassy conditions favorable to fireflies, unlike intensive monocultures.
A localized decline, not a global extinction
Here is the crucial point that masks the sensationalism of social networks: the problem is not uniform. Certain local species actually disappear, but the community of fireflies as a whole does not run an imminent danger of extinction.
This fundamental nuance was underlined by the scientific communicator Hank Green, who published a video from Fact-Checking to temper concerns. His message is clear: ” I don’t want you to be afraid of everything, I want us to be afraid of good things. »
Concrete solutions exist
Far from being a fight lost in advance, the conservation of fireflies has an arsenal of accessible solutions. The reduction in light pollution represents an immediate lever for action: extinguishing unnecessary exterior lighting, use less intrusive bulbs, orient the light sources downwards.
The preservation of natural habitats remains a priority. Maintaining areas of high herbs, preserving water points, avoiding the peel of lawns: so many simple gestures that can make the difference. In agriculture, the adoption of respectful fauna practices – reduction of pesticides, maintaining grassy bands – offers encouraging prospects.
Keep hope without minimizing the emergency
Lucioles are not condemned to disappear, but their situation perfectly illustrates contemporary environmental challenges. Their fate depends on our ability to finely understand natural ecosystems and to adapt our practices accordingly.
Faced with the ambient eco-anxiety, science invites us to a delicate balance: to become aware of the ecological emergency without giving in to fatalism, to act with determination while keeping hope. Because this is perhaps the key so that future generations can still marvel at the light dance of the fireflies by the hot summer evenings.
