Pennsylvania Firefly Festival

In 2011, an observant camper in the Allegheny National Forest noticed that the fireflies (aka lightning bugs) along the Branch Creek seemed to be flashing all at the same time.  She discovered that indeed a rare species, commonly known as the "synchronous firefly" did exist, but supposedly only in a small pocket of the Great Smoky Mountains.  She wrote a grant which commissioned a world-class group of scientists, F.I.R.E. (Firefly International Research and Education) Team to come to Kellettville in Forest County, PA in 2012. They spent 10 days collecting and studying the fireflies, and confirmed the existence of the Photinus carolinus (aka the synchronous variety) plus 15 more species including the charming "Chinese Lanterns".  

Last summer, the British film crew, Ammonite Films, came here to film the synchronous fireflies and the unique "Chinese Lanterns" for a film hosted by the renowned Sir David Attenborough.  The film about bioluminescence is due out sometime in 2016.  This film is bound to bring attention to our fireflies worldwide.  

We have been endeavoring to let people know about these rare and beautiful creatures through hosting an annual PA Firefly Festival on the 4th Saturday in June, during the season of the firefly mating displays.  We are now into our fourth year, and successfully growing.  The festival celebrates the diverse variety of fireflies with a free music festival, arts/crafts fair, food and, of course, firefly viewing.  

We are excited to announce that we received a 2-year Huplits Wildlife grant from the Allegheny chapter of Sierra Club to help us fund our Educational outreach program that we established last year. We are using the funds to produce a couple of High-tech posters that will flash the patterns of several species of firefly.  We will also be sponsoring an intern for the month of June who will be helping with the monitoring and education of visitors to the festival.  We also want to install some much-needed signage in the Kellettville area that will give visitors information about the fireflies and the habitat.  

We hope to raise an additional $2000 to help us with some of the pieces that the grant does not cover.  We need to print rack cards, advertise, print t-shirts and pay musicians. 

Please, consider supporting us at any level you can afford.  Every little bit will help.