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Fireflies can make your backyard feel a little bit magical.
Unfortunately, researchers have found that 14 percent of firefly populations are threatened with extinction.
Read on for 7 tips to attract fireflies to your yard.
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Seek out alternatives to synthetic lawn fertilizers like natural fertilizersor go low-maintenance and plant a clover lawn instead.
Want more gardening tips?
Leave Low-Hanging Branches
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Fireflies' natural habitat is marshy, wooded areas.
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Leaving low-hanging branches onshrubsand trees in your yard rather than pruning them away.
This helps provide a place for fireflies to complete their life cycle.
Frequent mowing during this time of year can kill fireflies or their larvae resting on tall blades of grass.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
As an added bonus, this strategy may make your lawn healthier, too.
Tall grasses in particular offer hiding places for fireflies as they send out their flashy signals.
Consult your local cooperative extension or garden center for specific plants native to your region.
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Have a Water Source Nearby
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Fireflies prefer wet, marshy environments.
Extension Notes: Fireflies Provide Nighttime Beauty; Help Control Some Garden Pests.Carteret County Times.
Fireflies: A Beneficial Insect.Alabama Cooperative Extension Service.
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Georgia Fireflies.University of Georgia Extension.
How to Support Fireflies in Your Yard.University of New Hampshire Extension.
Bug Friendlier Outdoor Lighting.University of New Hampshire Extension.
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The Spruce / Kevin Norris
