My Own (Little) Sparkle of Fireflies
I consider myself to be very lucky as I have my very own sparkle of fireflies. 'A Sparkle' is the common noun for fireflies though 'a light posse' is also used. Our Udon Thani home is tucked away at the end of a dirt track that runs along a small river. This river is home to my sparkle of fireflies. It's a small sparkle. At most I can see a hundred in one night.
Most evenings I like to take a stroll just after dusk to visit my sparkle. I find them mesmerising. Not just for the magical floating, fairy light effect but also as they fly over the river the fireflies create a mirror image of themselves. The symmetry of the fireflies and their reflected partners makes for quite a light show, though one of some sadness too. Adult fireflies, the ones that emit light, live only for one week. Their sole purpose at this stage is to find a mate, reproduce and die. So I look at this amazing show knowing that this is also their final song and dance.
My First Friendly Firefly
I first encountered a firefly as a young five year old boy whilst living on the banks of Lake Michigan in North America. It was a hot summer night and I couldn't sleep, causing me to notice a small yellow light moving around the room, alternating between making large circles before suddenly switching to a zigzagging pattern. That night I lay awake happily mesmerised by this circling, zigzagging light and since then I have always relished the joy of seeing these magical insects.
When I first came to Thailand, fireflies were not on my mind. So it was a pleasure indeed to find that here we actually have them in abundance. Thailand is home to over 100 species of fireflies, but particularly and uniquely Synchronous Fireflies. These, for mating purposes, sync their bioluminescence like a string of Christmas tree lights that flash on and off. It is believed they do this to avoid confusing the female with too many lights from different locations. Whatever their reason, in doing this they have given us one of the world's most spectacular natural light shows.
Synchronous Fireflies – A Living Work of Art
It is possible to go and see synchronous fireflies in Thailand — their locations are well known and regularly studied. Part experiment and part living work of art, artists have used controlled LEDs to encourage wild fireflies to synchronise their bioluminescence to create stunning patterns, one of the most striking natural light shows anywhere on earth.
Where to See Synchronous Fireflies
The best time to go and see fireflies is during the rainy season, May to October, when populations are at their maximum size. Fireflies are attracted to water, so sparkles of fireflies can be found along most river banks and mangrove swamps. To be sure of seeing a spectacular showing of synchronous fireflies, a few destinations stand out.
1. Khao Kho National Park
The closest place to Udon Thani is Khao Kho National Park, a five hour drive away. It's a popular destination for reasons beyond fireflies — its high elevation means cooler temperatures and wonderful morning views across mist filled valleys. For the best firefly experience, stay in one of the campsites or small isolated resorts and follow a trail into the forests at dusk. Here, especially in summer, the fireflies are very dense — though avoid shining a torch directly at them as this can be fatal.
2. Amphawa Floating Market Firefly Boat Tours
Probably the easiest and most accessible place to see synchronous fireflies is at Amphawa Floating Market, 80 km outside Bangkok. Here you can take a boat ride from the market down the Mae Klong River. The boats will stop and allow you to watch the fireflies that live in the Lamphu trees on the river bank. Boats normally take up to 20 people and the price is between 50-100 baht per person, departing all year round between 6pm and 9pm.
3. Phrom Yothi Military Barrack
Another easily accessible location is Phrom Yothi Military Barrack in Muang District, Prachiburi Province, a two hour drive out of Bangkok. The forest around the base is home to a sparkle that numbers in the thousands. For six weeks each year, in June and July, the camp is opened for the evening for people to view the fireflies — a superb experience especially for families with young kids.
4. Kaeng Krachan National Park
A great option for the more determined traveller, where you can see tens of thousands of fireflies grouped together. Kaeng Krachan National Park is a nature reserve 85km from Hua Hin and 200km from Bangkok, on the border of Thailand and Myanmar. There are many reasons beyond fireflies to come here, including 450 species of birds, 300 of butterflies, and over 30 types of mammals including wild leopards, tigers, bears and elephants. Stay in one of the two campsites and follow the firefly trails down the many streams and rivers, with guides available to escort you safely.
Vanishing Fireflies
Firefly populations all over the world are declining due to urban development and light pollution encroaching on their habitat. Tales of bright swarms that would light up entire rivers enough to be navigable without artificial light are sadly now just tales. Fireflies communicate by light through the darkness in order to find mates, so as we light up ever more of the world, our friendly fireflies can no longer connect and mate.
My own sparkle is also declining. Once we were an isolated villa, but new houses have been built along our river, new street lamps added, and vehicular traffic is now a constant. Numbers are visibly down, and dramatically so, since we first came here 10 years ago. My sparkle may not survive, but for now I still take great delight in taking a stroll at dusk to watch their magical show and marvel in the synchronous beauty of their final, beautiful dance of light.
