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.

Donate to PAFF during the Bridge Builders Week of Giving

During the week of March 19th-23rd, your tax-deductible donation to PA Firefly Festival helps support the Firefly Educational Programs, Summer Research Interns, and the future festivals. It's as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Go to the Bridge Builders Community Foundation Gives website 
2. Get out your favorite credit card and...
3. Make at least a $25 donation

Every donation counts towards helping us win even more cash prizes from Bridge Builders.  So, thanks for giving. 

We are now less than 4-months away from the 6th Annual PAFF.  We have been busy making plans and looking forward to another exciting season of firefly watching, discovery and fun.  Be sure you stay tuned for the updates by subscribing to our email newsletters on our website.

UN Arts Ambassador tells Forest County about His Fireflies.

Ibiyinka Alao, a United Nations Arts Ambassador from Nigeria came to Forest County on February 1 & 2. With the help of a J. Bowman Proper Trust grant, the Forest Area Arts Council, Tionesta and Marienville Lions clubs and West Forest Elementary Yearbook,  PAFF sponsored the 2-day resident artist in the Forest Area School District.  Ibi, as the kids call him, spoke to all the students K-12 about his experiences growing up in Nigeria and the lessons he learned from catching and releasing fireflies in the bush of Africa.  Using his charm and whit, Ibi connected the science, art, music and life lessons about fireflies to teach them how to paint a forest or village landscape and a Calabash (an African bowl).  He inspired them all to create and express themselves in art, music, writing and dance.

The students' artwork was on display for the community at 2 evening programs, one for West Forest and one for East Forest.  A number of the pieces have been chosen to be published in a Shutterfly book and will soon be available for purchase to benefit PAFF future programs at https://pafireflyfestivalphotogallery.shutterfly.com/.

Each night, Ibi spoke again to the audiences about his paintings and how fireflies have inspired his art and music.  The Scholastic book "Ibi's Fireflies" was a Kids are Authors Award winner and is being made into an animated film using Ibi's artwork and music with the help of producer/director Tim Burton and cinematographer Derek Frey.  We will be looking forward to the release of this film.

This was such a great way to spend the winter days while we are waiting for our next firefly season.  We are so grateful to Ibi and his assistant Shawn.  The PAFF board also thanks the volunteers from Forest Area Arts Council for their help setting up the "art galleries".

Off-Season Activities

The PAFF board is busy planning for 2018 firefly season.

Each year we learn more and more about these insects and the forest where they live.  Last year's special guest, Sara Lewis, Ph.D. (pictured below) did the most to help us understand our significance and the responsibility we have to all the fireflies in Forest County.  As a result, the PAFF board realizes we have a unique opportunity to create a more intimate educational setting for visitors while protecting the firefly habitat and ultimately the longevity of the species in Forest County.  So this year, limited numbers of firefly walks (both in terms of group size and frequency) and increased ticket prices will be adopted to ensure an improved experience for the visitors.  If you want to see fireflies in the forest this year, stay tuned to this blog, the pafireflyfestival.org and facebook pages to get the latest information on festival registration and seasonal firefly excursions.

 We have been blessed to receive another Huplits Wildlife Grant from the Sierra Club, Allegheny group and another J. Bowman Proper Trust grant to help us continue our educational mission and celebration of these amazing insects.  With the funding, we will be able to sponsor another summer research intern, provide guided firefly excursions, improve seating at the festival, sponsor music & entertainment for festival visitors and continue the educational outreach to groups and schools.   PAFF board members are passionate about researching and learning as much as we can to make 2018 even better for both the visitor and the fireflies.

July is "Big Dipper" Time!

The festival is now been over for a month, but that doesn't mean there aren't fireflies to see.  The Synchronous season ended July 12, and officially made the 2017 season the longest in our  5-year history of data.  However, just as the last of the Synchronous shows ended and the Chinese Lanterns faded, new species began to emerge with just as impressive shows as our June species.

Currently, the lawns and farm fields all over northwest Pennsylvania are lighting up with displays by the "Big Dippers", the J-shaped light of Photinus pyralis.  You can almost set your watches to these displays.  They start around 9:00 pm with a peak around 9:15-20 and ending around 9:45.  They typically fly up from the grass and flash 12-18 inches off the ground at first, flying higher, up to 12-15 feet as they "warm-up".  Usually, children have no trouble catching these seasonal delights (just be sure to release them that night in the same area you caught them).  If you aren't seeing them in your neighborhood or fields, that's a sign that something is just not right.  You may want to take stock and evaluate your habitat more closely around your home for light pollution and/or pesticides.

SAYING GOODBYE:  We want to especially thank this year's PAFF Summer Intern, Peyton Breault, for all of her hard work and commitment to the fireflies of the Allegheny National Forest.  Peyton was able to help identify a lot of the flowers and plants associated with the Synchronous firefly displays and habitats.  We hope to use this information in the future to help us not only predict the display onset and peak, but to preserve and restore habitat.  We wish her well in her Senior Year at Florida Southern College and look forward to what she will become as a successful scientist.

Thank you to all who supported this year's festival with your volunteering, donations and expertise.  We will continue to learn as much as we can about fireflies in the Allegheny National Forest area, and are busy already making plans for next year.