CBS News
Bethany Beach firefly could be first lightning bug added to federal endangered species list
The Bethany Beach firefly is in danger of flickering out and becoming endangered, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday.
The firefly, found in coastal Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, is one of around 170 firefly species in the U.S. The species is already considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Fish and Wildlife Service said it’s under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act.
It’s the first firefly species to be considered for protections under the act, according to a Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson. If the species is listed, then federal agencies will be required to ensure their actions are unlikely to jeopardize the Bethany Beach firefly.
There are currently more than 1,300 species listed as either endangered or threatened in the U.S. under the 1973 act.
The Bethany Beach firefly is not the only type of firefly at risk; about 10% of the firefly species in the U.S. are not doing well, Sara Lewis, author of “Silent Sparks: The Wondrous World of Fireflies,” told CBS News earlier this year. Some of the lightning bug species most vulnerable to extinction need very specific habitats to survive.
The Bethany Beach firefly, for instance, lives only in swales — low-lying freshwater marsh areas near coastal dunes, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Climate change is affecting the firefly habitat and around 76-95% of swales could be lost to high-tide flooding by 2100, according to climate models.
The firefly species also faces threats from development, light pollution, recreation, grazing by ponies, the use of pesticides and invasive plant species.
Light pollution is a threat for a variety of fireflies because it can prevent male and female fireflies from finding each other so they can mate, reducing the population of the future generations of fireflies.
“Love can be hard to find for even the brightest of fireflies,” according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. “Even the interfering light of a full moon can outshine their visual morse code, making it impossible for males and females to recognize each other. Light pollution from towns, factories and roads have been seriously killing the buzz for these insects”
Candace Fallon, senior conservation biologist at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, advises being conscientious of fireflies when taking care of lawns. She previously told CBS News that she suggests mowing less often or leaving the grass taller as a way to protect fireflies.
The advice applies year round, not just in the spring and summer when flashes of light are visible.
“So many just people just think about fireflies when they’re these flashing adults for a few weeks in the summer, but the reality is that they’re present all year long, we’re just not noticing them or seeing them,” Fallon said.
CBS News
Missed the VP debate last night? Watch a full replay of the Vance-Walz showdown here
For more than 90 minutes on live TV, the 2024 vice presidential nominees, Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, sparred over a wide range of issues in the first and only VP debate of the campaign, hosted by CBS News. If you missed the debate Tuesday night, you can watch a replay of the full broadcast in the video player above.
The two candidates faced questions from moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan about the economy, immigration, abortion rights, the conflict in the Middle East, climate change, health care, housing costs and more — and offered sometimes sharply different visions for the nation’s future.
Immediately following the debate, CBS News surveyed voters nationwide who reported watching it in order to get their reaction. They were almost evenly divided over who they thought won — 42% said Vance and 41% said Walz, while 17% considered it a tie. A large majority, 88%, said they thought the tone of the debate was generally positive.
CBS News
6 highlights from the Walz-Vance VP debate
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Highlights from JD Vance-Tim Walz vice presidential debate
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