Keep these in mind

• Anyone can participate, while the project is focused on Atlanta you can submit information from anywhere.

• You will be monitoring outside where you live whether in a backyard or outside at an apartment complex.

• At the start of the project, we asked that you pick 2 evenings to monitor where you live in both June and July. It is nice to space these events a few days apart but you can select the dates according to your schedule. If you are JUST JOINING the project and June has passed, you can start submitting data at any time! Try to submit 2x in July if you can but if you can only do it 1x that is OK too!

• Do not monitor in the rain, not as many fireflies will be out.

• Avoid using outdoor lights. If you can turn off the outdoor lights and avoid using headlights or flashlights. Fireflies will be less likely to flash and it will be harder for you to see the fireflies with outdoor lights on. If you must use lights for safety, try the dimmest possible red light.

• If you plan to wear bug spray try to apply bug spray before you get to your monitoring location so you do not spray it around the fireflies.

• Begin monitoring 30 minutes before sunset. For Atlanta in June sunset is typically around 8:50 pm so start monitoring at 8:20 pm.

• Wait until 10 minutes after seeing the first firefly flash before recording the survey information. Once you are done recording you do not need to stay longer.

• However, if you are not seeing any fireflies try to stay until 30 minutes after sunset (until around 9:20 pm) to be sure the fireflies are not there during that window of time.

• Stay in roughly the same location when you are monitoring rather than walking around on different parts of the property. A chair or blanket and your favorite beverage are nice things to bring!

• Check that your internet or access to phone service is working in the location you are monitoring. The below data submission form uses the internet.

• If you do not have internet or data access you will need a notebook to write the questions down beforehand and then submit the data later.

• The questionnaire about land management at the end is extremely helpful to complete, however, it is optional. The questionnaire at the end only needs to be completed once.

Materials Needed

Smartphone, tablet, or laptop with the ability to connect to the internet on site. The data submission form uses the internet. If you cannot connect to the internet at your monitoring location, please write down all the survey questions in a notebook in advance. Later, you can submit them on the internet later but be mindful to correctly mark the location on our map form where you monitored for fireflies.

Blanket, chair, and/or your favorite beverage.

Avoiding the use of floodlights, flashlights, or headlamps during monitoring is preferred, but please do what is needed for safety. If you use a light try to use it as little as possible (it will decrease firefly flashes and make it harder for your eyes to adjust) and, if possible, choose the dimmest possible red light.