Pennsylvania Synchronous Fireflies

[smokindok]

After having to cancel our March camping trip to Nebraska for the sandhill crane migration, we are finally getting away with the trailer for a few days. Heading to Allegheny National Forest, in PA, in search of synchronous fireflies. Have any fellow campers here had any success in finding them in this area? Any tips? Also, any other recommendations for things to do in the area? Recommended full hookup campgrounds?

Thanks!

John

[pbeverly]

They can also be seen at the Congaree National Park in SC which does have boon docking camping. Best viewing here is May 14 - June 14. Too late for this year.

[smokindok]

We are planning the trip for the last week in June. From what I have read, the most active mating period is from the solstice to about the 2nd week in July, about a month after the Smokies.

Thanks for the info.

[NatParkJunkie]

It might be a little early in the year for fireflies in PA. I usually don't see many of them until mid-late summer.
Chapman state park in the middle of Allegheny national forest is nice. Electric sites and a dump station. I was there 2 weeks ago. Didn't notice any fireflies at night then. There's several Army Corps campgrounds along the reservoir not sure what the services are like there. Usually I head for the dispersed camping in the forest away from people. That was my preference long before social distancing was the thing to do.
Jakes rock is a nice overlook. Nice mountain biking trails up there too.
I checked out the link. I'm pretty sure I know which campsite they mentioned. I'm not going to publish where it is either. 🙂 Only 6 sites directly on a babbling brook. first come first served, no services, and very popular with the locals. I usually have trouble trying to snag a site there too.

[smokindok]

Here is a link to the article I mentioned above.

http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/STONEMANGUITARS/Fireflies.html

[smokindok]

Yes, first learned about synchronous fireflies a few years back, when camping in the Smokies. We have not tried entering the lottery to see them there.

I recently learned about their 2012 discovery in western PA. I have been reading everything I can find about them, which isn't much and doesn't give much detail. There is an annual festival, with guided tours to a site, but it is on private property. Most of this year's festival events have been canceled due to the virus situation and the limited number of tours to that viewing site are sold out.

I did find a short article by one of the people who first discovered them in Pa, in which he said that on return trips to the region he found them at multiple locations throughout the Allegheny National Forest area, as well as up into the Allegany State Park area in NY. He gave no detailed information on locations, but said to look for damp, shady, mixed hardwood forest areas in hollows near streams, and best viewing should be around midnight to 1 a.m.

Since it does not seem likely that I will get any detailed tips on sites, our plan is to scout potential areas in the daytime, then pick a couple to try at night. Maybe we'll get lucky.

[Johno02]

Apparently they have been recently discovered in Pennsylvania. Tere is a link to find out more. They are so popular in the GSMP that you have to win a lottery ticket to get a place to see them from.

Fireflys

[Johno02]

Have not heard of them ever there, our only place to see them was in the Smokies, at Elkmont campground. It was a lot of trouble and confusion, but the sight was really amazing and somethng not to be missed if you can manage it. Now that folks have found out about them, it is very difficult to get there because of the crowds of people.