{"id":21646,"date":"2025-06-27T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/a-flicker-in-the-marsh-building-community-and-learning-about-la-plata-countys-fireflies\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:08:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:08:19","slug":"a-flicker-in-the-marsh-building-community-and-learning-about-la-plata-countys-fireflies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/a-flicker-in-the-marsh-building-community-and-learning-about-la-plata-countys-fireflies\/","title":{"rendered":"A flicker in the marsh: Building community and learning about La Plata County\u2019s fireflies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"A
A live marsh flicker is seen beneath a microscope. The yellow parts on the end of its abdomen is the organ that glows. They glow during the summer, roughly June through July, when they are trying to attract a mate. (Wyatt Richards\/Special to the Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Just as the sun sank behind the La Plata Mountains northwest of Sunnyside Farms on Saturday evening, something magical happened: Tiny yellow lights began to twinkle here and there among the wind-rippled pastureland. Then, as dusk finally faded into night, thousands appeared and rose from the grass, dotting the darkened meadow like stars.<\/p>\n

The lights belonged to fireflies, called \u201cmarsh flickers,\u201d that make their home in wetlands throughout the West. But most people don\u2019t know they exist, said Ryan Schwarz, a career entomologist and associate professor of biology at Fort Lewis College.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lore that I was raised with as a southern Arizona kid was that fireflies occur east of the Mississippi,\u201d he said. \u201cI never studied them. But when I was told about the ones here, I said \u2018What? There are fireflies here?\u2019 and got really excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bigs
Bigs and Littles from Big Brothers Big Sisters of La Plata County, along with their families, come together Saturday at Sunnyside Farms south of Durango to learn about fireflies. (Wyatt Richards\/Special to the Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Schwarz had come to teach about fireflies to local youths and their mentors from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Colorado. They played bocce and firefly bingo at a barbecue and viewing party organized by the La Plata Open Space Conservancy, a nonprofit that works with private landowners on conservation projects.<\/p>\n

Senior Program Manager Bundy Gomar said the event was an opportunity to bring a little more magic into the kids\u2019 worlds while inspiring a love for where they live and a curiosity about the natural world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like we\u2019re so lucky with Big Brothers Big Sisters here in Southwest Colorado, because we have so many ways to spend time outside,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s not really an option for the kids in the city, so I think it\u2019s a great opportunity for them to see how lucky we are to live in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schwarz said he hoped the event would inspire the kids in attendance to one day become scientists.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m hoping some of these kids here will one day go on to study fireflies as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Schwarz said research surrounding Western fireflies has ramped up in the past year because many scientists were unaware they existed in the West. Of course, they\u2019ve always been here, he said. They were just very rare compared to out East, leading to the misconception.<\/p>\n

Schwarz initially worked independently with local landowners to study the fireflies, which are not flies but bioluminescent beetles. Earlier this year, he learned other Western entomologists were studying the insects, and together they formed the Western Firefly Working Group.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a prime site for research that will help science better understand this type of firefly,\u201d he said. \u201cSo far, we\u2019re the only group studying fireflies here. We\u2019ve got other collaborators in New Mexico, in Utah, in Arizona, but my undergraduate students at Fort Lewis and I are the Southwest Colorado core.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jerry
Jerry Zink of Sunnyside Farms south of Durango shares the story of his first time seeing fireflies. (Wyatt Richards\/Special to the Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

He explained that because little is known about them, the working group aims to answer basic questions about the marsh flicker \u2013 such as what type of wetland they need to thrive and when their mating season occurs.<\/p>\n

The population at Sunnyside is one of the largest Schwarz has found.<\/p>\n

Interest in marsh flickers has grown since they were recognized as a distinct species from those in the East and Midwest \u2013 and especially since they were added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature\u2019s Red List of Threatened Species<\/a> in 2021, because of climate change, habitat loss and drought.<\/p>\n

Artificial light pollution harms fireflies, Schwarz said. Some of the healthiest populations around Durango are on private agricultural land where there is less light from houses, streetlights and roads. But, he said, there is a patch of ideal habitat right in Durango.<\/p>\n

He said lights from living rooms and porches that shine onto the wetland can harm fireflies in the area. The habitat supports about 10 individual fireflies, but turning off those lights or closing curtains at night could allow the population to rebound.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t realize that we\u2019re harming our local firefly species,\u201d Schwarz said. \u201cWe have them in Durango, and that population could get big and strong if the light went down and we maintained the quality of that wetland habitat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bigs
Bigs and Littles from Big Brothers Big Sisters gather at Sunnyside Farms south of Durango to watch fireflies light up. (Wyatt Richards\/Special to the Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Schwarz did not share their location and urged people not to go search for them. The population is so small and vulnerable, he said, that any additional stress or habitat damage could wipe them out.<\/p>\n

The first private firefly viewing party held last year at Sunnyside used ticket sales to fund additional La Plata Open Space Conservancy projects. The event was a hit, so they hosted another this year \u2013 this time to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters, said Jennifer Zahratka, executive director of the conservancy.<\/p>\n

\"Attendees
Attendees of a firefly viewing party played firefly bingo, which Jennifer Zahratka, executive director of La Plata Open Space Conservancy, said is a fun way for kids to learn about fireflies. (Wyatt Richards\/Special to the Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Zahratka said she hoped the event would inspire the kids to pursue careers in science or conservation, but giving them a fun evening outdoors was just as important.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want these kids to just be here,\u201d she said. \u201cI want them to have loved tonight \u2013 loved the fireflies, loved running around \u2013 to go home tired and just have this wonderful outdoor experience. Because not everybody gets to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conservancy facilitates land easements with landowners \u2013 voluntary legal agreements that preserve full ownership of property but ensure the land is protected from development, Zahratka said. In addition to private easements like Sunnyside, the conservancy holds easements in Dalla Mountain Park, Overend Mountain Park, Horse Gulch and Oxbow Park to ensure they remain undeveloped.<\/p>\n

Zahratka said conserving habitat amid development pressures, drought conditions and wildfire threats is particularly meaningful. But that effort depends on connecting people with the land \u2013 especially local youths and families.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe protect what we love,\u201d she said. \u201cWe protect the special experiences that we have. It doesn\u2019t matter if you have land or money, you have a voice and you have a vote.\u201d<\/p>\n

sedmondson@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Participants
Participants and organizers at a firefly viewing party walk through Sunnyside Farms to the marsh where fireflies live. Red light is less harmful to marsh flickers. (Wyatt Richards\/Special to the Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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