The 12th Annual PA Firefly Festival, June 28 and June 29, 2024: April 2018

Monday, April 30, 2018

Registration OPENS MAY 1!!!

Tonight, at midnight, registration opens at The Brown Paper Tickets for the 6th Annual PA Firefly Festival . There are also 3 other weekend opportunities in Forest County and a mid-week campout experience to consider. Search PA Firefly Festival on Brown Paper Tickets to see the full list.

The new website will be opened any minute. So,

stay tuned and get complete lists and information for the 2018 Firefly Season in NW Pennsylvania.

Sunday, April 29, 2018

PAFF Honored as a Champion of Conservation and Stewardship by PA Wilds

On April 26th, PAFF was honored by the PA Wilds at the 15th Annual Dinner & Awards. The PA Wilds Center was formed 15 years ago by public and private partners in a cooperative effort to promote the outdoor recreation opportunities in 13 counties in North Central Pennsylvania. The dinner's theme was "Celebrating 15 Years: The Wilds At Work". PA Wilds recognized PAFF for the significant contributions we have made through our multi-faceted conservation work including innovative partnerships, training and education, youth involvement, usage of grant funding to support conservation initiatives, educational marketing and events, collaboration with conservationists and researchers, habitat preservation and more. We are humbled and thank the PA Wilds Center Board of Directors and the Awards Committee for the honor and recognition.

Sunday, April 1, 2018

2018 Festival News... NO Joke!!

PA Firefly Festival has exciting additional opportunities for this year's Firefly Season in Western Pennsylvania... Firefly Expeditions! More and more people are wanting to see fireflies, and the demand has resulted in PAFF looking for new and creative ways to respond to the demand without posing a threat to the fireflies or their habitats. PAFF is planning on leading several weekend Firefly Expeditions starting June 8th through July 14th at various sites, not only in Forest County but throughout Western Pennsylvania. Afterall, the Firefly is the official Pennsylvania State Insect!

There will be at least 4 different locations for as many as 11 nights of Expeditions and exploration, including the festival in Kellettville. For a nominal registration fee, PA Firefly Festival staff and interpretive guides will provide short informative programs each night starting at 9 pm. Then, when conditions are just right, survey the area with the participates and help them seek, find, and identify the fireflies at that location. The locations and links to registration will be announced April 15th and registration will open, May 1st. Space is limited at each venue. Be sure you have subscribed to the PAFF newsletter on the website to receive the newsletter and links to register.

From the casual and curious firefly watcher to the serious Citizen Scientists, you should be able to find a Firefly Expedition option that suits your level of curiosity, knowledge and ability.

Firefly Speak

A GLOSSARY OF FIREFLY TERMS

ABDOMEN The third and last section of an insect body. Fireflies have their light organs located in their abdomen.

COLEOPTERA The classification name (Order) for the insects known as beetles. Fireflies belong to this Order.

DIURNAL Active during the daylight hours. As opposed to nocturnal. Some firefly species are diurnal.

ECLOSE to emerge, as when an adult FF emerges from the pupa cocoon.

ELYTRON (plural – elytra) The hard wing cover that protects the firefly wings. Elytra are a shared characteristic with all beetles.

ENTOMOLOGY The study of insects.

LAMPYRIDAE - The classification name (Family) of beetles that include the fireflies. Over 2000 species of Lampyridae are known in the world.

PHEROMONE A chemical released in the air by insects to attract mates. Some firefly species use pheromones instead of light signals for mating.

PRONOTUM A shield-like plate that covers the head of fireflies.

THORAX The middle section of an insect body.

Synchronous Fireflies and more

The Photinus carolinus, aka as the "Synchronous Firefly", was identified and confirmed to be in the Allegheny National Forest during the summer of 2012. A team of world-class Firefly scientists from Tennessee and Georgia came to Black Caddis Ranch for 10 days, and traveled throughout the ANF collecting specimens and studying the diversity of fireflies.

The P. carolinus is unique in that the males' flash patterns are in synchrony with each other, so they appear to be like a string of Christmas lights hanging in the forest. Other witnesses have likened it to camera flashbulbs at a sporting event. One of the other confirmed habitats in North America is in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee where 1000s of visitors line up nightly for 10 nights to see this phenomenon. More populations are being confirmed each year stretching from Georgia to New York along the Appalachian Ridge. The Synchronous fireflies are in abundance throughout the Allegheny National Forest and can be seen in the ANF recreation areas starting mid-June through early July.

Over 15 different species were identified and described along with the Synchronous. One other local species was a Photuris species dubbed the"Chinese Lanterns" by the scientists. These were observed floating across the Tionesta creek casting their glow onto the water.

Starting around July 4 to the middle of August, the "Big Dipper", Photinus pyralis, begin their displays in the fields and yards all over NW PA. They can put on quite a natural fireworks show from dusk around 9 pm to 9:45 pm. Whichever species you witness during the approximately 4-6 week season, you can be sure to have a moment of awe and wonder at this display of nature.

The season is highly dependent on weather and temperatures. We watch several different factors (both scientific hard data and "soft signs"). Follow us on Facebook for updates as the season begins and progresses in 2022.

The 12th Annual PA Firefly Festival, June 28 and June 29, 2024

When is the PA Firefly Festival?