Watch: Fireflies Glowing in Sync to Attract Mates | National Geographic

Each year in late spring the Great Smoky Mountains National Park hosts a special light show, thanks to a species of beetle native to the region. These are the synchronous fireflies, known for coordinating their flashes into bursts that ripple through a group of the insects. As with other fireflies, their yellowish glow helps potential mates find one another.
READ: How Fireflies Glow (and What Really Turns Them On)
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PRODUCER/VIDEOGRAPHER: Fritz Faerber
Additional Firefly Footage: Radim Schreiber
fireflyexperience.org
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Watch: Fireflies Glowing in Sync to Attract Mates | National Geographic
• Watch: Fireflies Glowi...
National Geographic
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[@angamgolmei]

I feel bad for people who haven't seen a firefly . We used to catch them every night during summer growing up. They are truly magical and thinking about them makes me nostalgic.

[@mohit9626]

Like me I never saw them 😭😭

[@aiheartso]

I've never seen a firefly and you're lucky!!

[@Apple-ei1ms]

I have never seen them before

[@mukeshgoyal]

How long they live in a jar once you catch them.

[@tessmarielerum2993]

In the Philippines there a lots of them....close to my house there have a big tree full of fireflies every night....the tree is glowing like a Christmas tree at night....amazing

[@Lowkeysyar]

I never saw fireflies in my entire life I've only heard em in cartoons or movies.

[@jaymarkloyola3445]

Go to forests at night, they naturally stay away from lights

[@olixyt8]

Yeah neither me :(

[@clover-il7tf]

I always thought they were a made up thing until I was old enough to know better.

[@MikeyHolNike]

they were in my old neighborhood i miss those lights flying around while me and my friends would play fun or football

[@AestheticCupcakeYT]

Yes I also

[@blessingsbywenliu7014]

The first time I saw fireflies was when I was 12. It was most magical and beautiful things I ever saw.

[@Sanadfatima]

The first time I saw fireflies 😱

[@greyson6762]

How have you never seen them before?

[@clover-il7tf]

Lucky.

[@clover-il7tf]

Raptorizz T.V People grow up in different places. Me in a city so they don’t live where I do.

[@oliviachen8365]

69 likes do not like

[@bunni7123]

I live in a suburban area in Montreal, Canada. I had never seen a firefly in my entire life, only heard about them in fairytales. I had a birthday dinner in my backyard and when it turned dark, I thought I was going crazy because I saw sparks of light in the air. As the sparks came closer, I realized they were fireflies. It felt truly magical. I will never forget that day. I'm guessing they came around because I have a big garden, full of plants, flowers, vegetables and trees. It was also humid that day because I had set up a small inflatable pool.

[@tabarkalhag9935]

أحلى حشرة في كل العالم

[@lusonpegu8741]

O😢

[@sohanhossen7009]

Come to bangladesh

[@minasengary8371]

Come to assam 😊

[@jonny1722]

When i was 8-12 me and my friends playing under the light of the moon in the middle of the rice field then catching fireflies, it was so magical and fun i enjoyed it so much and now im watching this reminds my beautiful and unforgettable childhood days💖

[@unanaily1979]

Your childhood must be one of the most amazing childhood ever!

[@user-nl3xw4gg7m]

“Katy did! Katy didn’t!” That’s the soundtrack to my childhood.

[@stretchlimo7275]

It’s truly mesmerizing watching them. My fields in early summer are full of thousands of them flashing. It’s a sight to behold

[@user-nl3xw4gg7m]

It’s cicadas, crickets, katydids, frogs and little songbirds for me!

[@Allahkibandi1234]

In which country your fields are present? I also wish to see such sight. Beddings of fireflies through the fields.

[@elizabethescalante7866]

They're like living Christmas lights!

[@cyclipsnation9418]

true

[@onechristianwallace]

I watch them in my little garden every evening.Its such a magical experience.

[@REign0279]

Oh !!! U r so lucky.....I saw them when I was maybe 5-6....I miss those moments......but now I feel like they r disappearing

[@arathy592]

U r soo lucky☺️

[@amareshkumardutta9490]

Lucky

[@ms.creepylee]

Ive never seen a firefly in person. I really didn't know if they were real so i came to youtube to find out. So amazing nature!!

[@Downbubbles2]

Beautiful creatures and also a victim of our own doing and development. With deforestation and pollution taking it’s heavy toll on earth and the wildlife, fireflies are going down the path of extinction and it breaks my heart to see such a little friend that has been a symbol of hope and peace for centuries die because of our greedy actions.

[@missfortune3123]

Don't be surprised that's the human nature but we can change

[@Bubbles-vf2qd]

that's really sad to be honest.

[@pandoz40]

I don't know, I live in a small village here in Italy, and there are plenty of fireflies

[@missfortune3123]

@@pandoz40 lucky

[@eggs6648]

IceColdSmoke2002 it’s probably because you live in a small village, I live in a city here in nc and they’re not as around as they were a couple years ago

[@maulikprajapati3643]

Last year, I just saw fireflies for the first time in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada when I went for camping. It was so amazing to see it in the dark. I was so surpsied to see them glowing in the dark. 😍😍

[@rafikamin6617]

I lived in a village, west Bengal, India. In my childhood, there were no electricity. In summer, fireflies lighten up the fields, ponds and the whole village would become a magical place

[@srs3572]

This makes me realize how many people in the west are clearly spoiled with modern comforts but I think of how many have missed out on the wonders of nature.

[@huntress44]

You would not believe your eyes...

[@NCR_Ranger115]

if ten million fireflies

[@0wnageclan]

XD , that's a good song

[@min-yl1ln]

Lit up the world as I fell asleep

[@jackarmstrong8790]

Ancestor if ten million fireflies

[@doomslayer9077]

+Banan and have aids while eating fries XD

[@ninyqin7086]

Fireflies only live for about 2 weeks after they come out of their pupal, and of course they don’t want to spend their lives inside a jar

[@watchtyme]

I grew up knowing them as Lightening Bugs. Nice job here.

[@mychemicaljulia]

YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE YOUR EYES IF 10 MILLION FIREFLIES

[@awesomeamazing1731]

lit up the world as i fell asleep

[@cbvjoabosnfredsonnatal6614]

Cause they feel the open air...

[@xnixrixx390]

And leave teardrops everywhere

[@rao2489]

You'd think me rude but i would just stand and stare

[@dianal9346]

It’s hard to say that I’d rather stay awake when I’m asleep ...

[@reniellapidovlog4534]

Fireflies is the most amazing creatures ever created

[@marks1059]

I’ve seen this accidentally in southern WV while camping. It’s an amazing experience when you didn’t know they existed. It’s like someone is flipping a light switch on and off.

[@shanugamer8309]

In my childhood I catch one of them and stored him in a glass bottle What a magical creature In India we call this JUGNU

[@oliwerrzepkowski6677]

Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar-jar-jar-jar I'd like to make myself belieeeeeve.

[@gdycbjrirckwwqxc]

And once when I was a 4 year old child I killed a firefly but then it stop glowing and I asked my mom she said it will not glow because it is dead now I felt very bad for it. I am also from India.

[@dombi5516]

In philippines we call this alitaptap 💛

[@Nkihgf]

Me too did the same but the firefly died 😭

[@Nkihgf]

@@rosei6305 😂😂😂😂😂

[@josephgarcia2979]

We took some high school students to Washington D.C. a few years back, and one evening while standing near some plants, I heard a very distinct sound, and when I turned around, I noticed an orchestra of flashing lights and poppings sounds. The trip to Washington was great, but the encounter with the fireflies was one of the most epic highlights of my entire life. I haven't seen any since, but I hope to be some place where I can see and hear them again, hopefully before I depart one day.

[@user-nl3xw4gg7m]

I haven’t seen one since I was a kid. I do hear crickets and katydids on summer evenings from August to early September, and for me the singing of those animals is nostalgic. The nostalgia factor also applies to cicadas when they start their buzzing Cicada Symphonies earlier during the day.

[@lmaChroma]

I'd love to see fireflies in person one day

[@vikramjeetkaur9596]

People say if there’s true love they glow bright

[@Sunnywhosaine13]

I forgot the last time I saw a firefly ... I live in Guwahati and 15-20 years back there were plenty of them .It's so heartbreaking to see this magnificent creature going in a verge of extinction 😭

[@markhesp4268]

Along with thousands of other creatures.Its so wrong.We the little people can't change much The blame lays squarely on the governments and policy makers.

[@Than3Dane]

@@markhesp4268 big corporatioks included, its all a cog in the machine of control and destruction

[@markhesp4268]

Yes just to satisfy the greed of the massive insecticide corporations. Spraying that poison everywhere is killing everything.probably us as well with huge numbers of people with cancer

[@crazy2-1ilz18]

One of the greatest wonders on earth 🌎

[@suzie_602]

I JUST SAW MY FIRST FIREFLY 😭😭😭 so here I am looking up a video on them 😂😂

[@elirchi9214]

Where did you see one?? It's sad that they're becoming harder to find :(

[@suzie_602]

They’re all over Georgia

[@unanaily1979]

Wow so cool!

[@tinypanther3320]

I love fireflies definitely the weirdest bugs I’ve ever seen they can literally glow cute but weird

[@Bangy]

Fireflies: exist Artists, writers, directors & animators: This is free real estate

[@debrabrown8901]

Fireflies are one of nature's magic. We have a few in N GA, but not like the mountains of NC. My granddaughter and I love to see them in the evenings. I remember loving to catch them in a jar as a child in NC when I was visiting my grandmother.

[@Alizaasif15]

I watch them in my village.its mesmerizing to watch

[@slotgrammie0923]

Spectacularly beautiful...a beautiful childhood memory now in my 64 year old life..💕💕

[@tntgolem1623]

There's a firefly in my room rn and they are in the room where I have slept for years now and it makes me happy every time I see them, It makes me happier to know that they glow even as babys

[@Forestclan2.0]

Have you ever tried building a bond with one?

[@unanaily1979]

@@Forestclan2.0 Too bad,their lifespan is short. Maybe only last for 10 days for mating after 1-2 years spent in the ground.

[@torrisali2082]

I am one of the very few native Floridians left that has seen fireflies in Florida before it was developed into subdivisions and major roads came in. They avoid artificial light, and I have not seen them since the early 90's.

[@jazbronoh5873]

I still remember this tree behind our house in the countryside where it's full of these fireflies at night in the summer when I was 7. It's glamorous. 😌

[@onwaterrr]

the last time I saw fireflies was when I was a kindergarten 😢😭❤️ I consider myself lucky to see them even for the last time ☺️

[@gd_hydra1gd504]

0:52 nice voice crack lady

[@thealienbros5431]

happens to all of us

[@geogm.840]

I like her! Her eyes and her facial expression are cool.

[@elysrobjohn4067]

Gd_Hydra1 Gd xD

[@zacharyallen4956]

Elys Robjohn I laughed. Good job

[@NarutoUzumaki-go8kx]

how tf people notice something like that or was I just too into the fireflies

[@patiencemacherie]

I could listen to this woman`s voice for hours and hours

[@truthinhere8270]

Ok

[@chardelraconner2166]

"FUN FACT : Athena collected what was scene above in multitudes and released them at once to allure existing energies from afar to socialize amongst her OWN rheaspec+fully." ©

[@Jason-Scott]

I’ve only ever seen 1 on Phuket beach stunning little creatures 😊

[@TheImperfectWriter]

So I'm looking at this, coz it's 2 am and a Firefly has invaded my room amidst the power cut. Been trying to capture it with my OnePlus 7 Pro.

[@TheImperfectWriter]

@@vivek-zo2yy it's dead pretty much, been a year.

[@TheImperfectWriter]

@@vivek-zo2yy Yes ✨

[@pjayadeep]

We have it in our backyard in the coffee estate during April every year. Such a delightful spectacle it is.

[@cmay878]

The wood behind my house have seemingly millions this year. Absolutely the best light show at night! They were early this year and mseem to be much more active.

[@khullakash1]

In Nepal, we say it "Jun Kiri" that means "Jun - Moon" and "Kiri/Kira - Insect".

[@milenadachbalken7385]

Wow, that´s really beautiful

[@arifenur8856]

Thank you for sharing!

[@khullakash1]

@@milenadachbalken7385 Thank You 💕

[@khullakash1]

@@arifenur8856 Welcome buddy !

[@norainnoflowers1551]

I grew up in FL but now I live in MO, I love watching the fireflies in the summertime!

[@Knapweed]

Seeing fireflies in the flesh is on my bucket list. It must be a fantastic sight.

[@dimakatsocatherinemashiane1621]

Saw one today. Thought I was dreaming lol. 1st time I see such

[@torb1trick415]

You wouldn't believe your eyes! If ten million fireflies! Lit up the world as I fell asleep!

[@AliHassan-hk6qp]

I remember when I was a kid and lived in joint family. We used to go out for a walk every night after dinner and there was this green area where whole bunch of fireflies used to fly. Me and my fellow cousins would often catch them and I once caught one inside a empty match box and treated him as a pet but then freed him in a few moments 😂😂 it was amazing.

[@raminham1077]

I had not seen a firefly for 30 years until now that i came to canada for a trip.they are amazing😻

[@Gman18]

Everyone loves this little friend its just really pretty

[@user-rc4bw1gs3d]

سبحان الله Subhan allah

[@nobizzybap]

So many fireflies in the Philippines. I miss the Philippines, night time was always beautiful 😍

[@paultremblay4836]

Remind me my first girlfriend who open the light by her window so I can find her room. Insect and human are same

[@vrutv3708]

Oh so boys do remember too?!

[@GoogleAccount-po1gl]

Haha

[@zdenekotruba8281]

When I was a kid I remember seeing fireflies everywhere... Now... Well, I have not seen one for at least five years

[@mikebrooks1620]

Same here. I hear it has something to do with the pesticides that farmers spray on the fields. Sad really

[@zdenekotruba8281]

@@mikebrooks1620 as far as I am concerned night lights make it much harder for them to breed and thus indirectly reduce their population

[@thevally6127]

@@mikebrooks1620 they're every where in the Midwest

[@Nagpurboy1997]

Beautiful nature 🙂

[@moongurl9246]

A moment ago, I just see one fireflies for the fist time... And it Sooo Beautiful ..

[@goosebxmps]

thank u fire fly scientist lady, i learned something new

[@beomkaslana]

I just saw them today. I'm still in shock that i saw them with my own eyes...

[@DeeandCeeT]

Same here!!!

[@Zac_plays3000ps]

In philippine province life seeing fireflies at during nights on forests both during summer and winter and camping

[@BangBang-zq2dh]

We get it. You and everyone else know the lyrics to the song “fireflies” by owl city.

[@clover-il7tf]

Seriously though every single video with “Firefly” in it someone comments owl city

[@hyperx72]

You must be fun at parties...

[@kit-rf5xn]

I don’t like that song.. :/

[@solcolin9517]

Fireflies are very beautifully 💜💛💚💙❤️

[@mikebrooks1620]

Shut up, anchor baby, nobody cares what you illegals have to spew!

[@byimpeccableimeantotallype9436]

A firefly just flew into my room ...and I was like "dude where this beauties hide in the morning " ...

[@tgx3529]

In the Giant Mountains in the Czech Republic, I regularly see them at night in the forests in the first half of July. It is an unforgettable experience, but there must be warm nights without precipitation. There are only a few such nights a year here.

[@20apoiar39]

This makes me nostalgic. I remember seeing hundreds of them literally lighting and the darkness in a remote/rural area in Brazil. That was in the 80s. Now they are almost extinct after the place developed… 😞

[@abhignang]

One should be lucky to sight these beautiful insects. We should be thankful to Mother nature.

[@kg_man81]

it's a pity the firefly are extinct in my country now... but the memory of my childhood are very beautiful.. catching them or just watching them flying around in the night are very wonderful

[@uyagraph]

It's not extinct, just harder to find as their population decrease.

[@ometeolt3182]

In Tlaxcala México live The Big Santuary of Fireflies !! .. Is So Beautiful❤

[@mikebrooks1620]

I'm moving there from USA. I want to see that and bang a bunch of mexican chicks.

[@amnamalik8098]

Its been years since i last saw then i miss them

[@GermanicHispanic]

Omg love these,. Why don't I see them around anymore in my area?? I first saw them when I was about a 7-8 year old puppy.

[@JP-ed5lh]

I wish someone would start a Fire Fly Farm, or a pet shop which sells Fire flies , so we can propagate them in our gardens. I haven't seen one in 20 yrs.

[@Abdullah-Malik]

I grew up watching them but Haven't seen them for a while :(

[@0617kitty]

I saw firefly once as a child in the New Territories in Hong Kong one Summer night when I was a child. It was precious memory🥰🥰

[@pizzapizza4550]

I just seen firefly's for the first time in my life. I am 29. It was a magical moment

[@juleslove6338]

I remember when i was a kid so many fireflies in the back yard. That time the the area where i lived the power often off. So, only dark night with the moonlight. And so many fiireflies.. green amd yellow.. and sometimes they fly inside my house.. and i played with the fireflies.. it was so magical.. bring back to my memories. Last time i saw fireflies about 4 years ago somewhere in the village. But i only saw 2 or 3 fireflies.

[@Sammy-mp9xn]

Love fireflies❤🐜🌠 Wouldn't be Summertime, here in N.C., without their spectacular light shows!🌠❤🐜💫🌛

[@anamikaroy5123]

জঠবমভঌপঁঅঃধঠঞঞঢঝঞঝঙঙ

[@Sarasstupendouschannel]

We had a friend visit from Texas and she has never seen lightning bugs before. She thought she was hallucinating at first. Haha

[@shanto2951]

In Bangladesh, we call them "JONAKI"

[@khadizahritu6259]

Jonaki poka☺

[@fine1876]

@@khadizahritu6259 junkiri in nepali😀😀

[@nepiece4815]

@@fine1876 bc fireflies species are from Nepal 🤣

[@anushkapaul3934]

In bengali too

[@gdycbjrirckwwqxc]

JUGNU in hindi

[@prashantrathore7070]

Now I feel Proud that I have seen them in my childhood....

[@jakeblack2439]

All my friends have seen them in our neighborhood! I want to see one too!

[@bequiteimhuntingwabbits8205]

I saw one in my house last night. I was scared shitless tbh

[@garethalford682]

It’s Beautiful and Magical Like Natures Christmas Lights ✨

[@catmeme7945]

Everytime black out happens in our place, fire flies appears and they are the most amazing creature at night, that was 19 years ago. Now, they're nowhere to be found.

[@carlvaudin434]

it's so beautiful

[@ghostshooter2399]

I just saw a firefly and came right here!

[@tnichlsn]

How long before Monstanto eliminates this species we grew up fascinated with?

[@voidofspaceandtime4684]

Terrence Nicholson There are already retards destroying mosquitoes despite them being a necessary low tier of the food chain. No doubt that a giant like Monsanto will give it a go eventually.

[@Hollowdude15]

Firefiles are so cool and great video :]

[@vijay22582]

Each and every year I witness fireflies in panchgani hill station... With huge crowd of fireflies it's really amazing.,

[@DeeandCeeT]

Saw fireflies for the 1st time!!! Such a magical sight!!! God's brilliance is Unmatched!

[@astranger2280]

yooo i haven't seen one since i was a kid!! i miss seeing them. subhan allah

[@leesantos9711]

They are magical !

[@bonziaaron5059]

82-year-old Setsuko: Pretty little things, aren't they? 92-year-old Seita: Yeah, we remember catching them all back in the summer of 45. 82-year-old Setsuko: You know what, Seita? Let's get as many as we can again! We'll see how it goes.

[@alankarsrivastava9100]

Somewhere in the glow of modernity, the glow of the firefly has been lost.

[@Dragon-Slay3r]

Jugnu aka firefly aka bettle cover with its back as a butplug “left foot”

[@BenBeecherAdventures]

I just saw my first group of fireflies yesterday, and caught one for the first time today

[@llamaface6229]

I’m in London Canada and we have them in our backyard when it gets humid in the summer time

[@meganbetteridge3547]

Looks magical like fairies

[@maggieshinee]

Nature is Great 😊

[@jamesjoseph3879]

Catching fire flys for a date sounds good

[@buddcz]

I remember my childhood,in the night I went out and caught light bugs

[@karelltulod3079]

Amazing fireflies