Smoky Mountains Information: Your Smokies News: Synchronized firefly

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Monday, April 28, 2014

2014 Firefly Viewing Dates in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Besides Leaf Peeping in the fall, the most popular event that takes place in the Great Smoky Mountains nation park each spring occurs when the synchronized fireflies in Elkmont draw about 1,000 spectators each night to which their miraculous matting light show.

More than a dozen species of lightning bugs inhabit the Great Smoky Mountains national park (GSMNP), but everyone is here to see just one of them the famous Photinus carolinus the Synchronous Firefly of the Smokies.

What makes the Synchronous Firefly of the Smokies so special as to attract so many people to the GSMNP is the unusual pattern of flashing which appears to be synchronized which is even more spectacular in certain parts of the park that have high concentrations of fireflies as well as no light pollution so they appear to be brighter and not effected by man made light as well.

Lots of people in the dark wandering around means that only a select few places are safe and particle to put everyone so the national park has been running special firefly shuttle trolleys as a ticketed event to Elkmont which is the safest and most practical area.

Since the fireflies emerge and use their synchronous flashing in order to mate is dependent upon weather, the prediction of the best time to see the fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountain national park a month or more in advance is part science and part educated guess. Most years the GSMNP firefly event is predicted very accurately.

The 2014 firefly season is predicted to peak between June 4th to June 11th in Elkmont where the firefly event take place and tickets will start going on sale at 10 am Wednesday April 30th and are expected to sell out very quickly. Additional tickets (85) will be released for sale online each day of the event as well. These generally sell out quickly as well.

Tickets for parking at $1.50 each and rides on the trolley cost $1 per person. None of the ticket and parking pass revenue ends up in the park as it is used to cover the cost of the reservation system.

2014 Firefly Viewing Dates in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

For detailed information about fireflies in the GSMNP and how to buy a ticket for the firefly shuttle or firefly biology you can click here.

Related Smokies Fireflies News Stories

Synchronized Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Firefly Season Past Peak in Parts of GSMNP and Closes Elkmont to Non-Campers Starting Tonight

Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are a big deal. Strike that. One particular species of the 14 known lightning bugs in the GSMNP is a huge deal. What makes this one firefly (Photinus Carolinus) also called a lightning bug so special is the unique synchronized light show both the male and female firefly provide to around 1,000 visitors a night.

The Synchronized Firefly has been a huge draw for years - so much so that the Great Smoky Mountains national park has created a shuttle system to handle the huge influx of visitors into the Elkmont are of the park close to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Wears Valley.

Though these fascinating lightning bugs can be found through most of the Great Smoky Mountains national park if you know when to be there, the Elkmont are along the Little River Hiking Trail is the only safe place to accommodate many visitors wandering around in the dark.

The City of Gatlinburg has helped the park by providing eco friendly shuttles from the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking area to Elkmont and back for only $1 per rider. The problem is more visitors arrive to the departure area every day than the park can safely handle.

Each year as more and more people arrived to ride the shuttle to see the fireflies in Elkmont earlier and earlier, the more people missed the opportunity to see the fireflies and their synchronized light show. It also filled the parking in the visitor center lot for much of the day keeping other visitors from having access to the visitor center and the facilities.

The park this year took a bold move to make it fairer for a greater number of visitors and to alleviate congestion by instituting ticket sales in advance through the internet for the firefly shuttle trolleys.

In order to not exceed the holding capacity of Elkmont and the parking area 175 car passes were released for each day the shuttle was to be in operation. There will be already all the campers in the 220 campsites in Elkmont, many of whom reserved their site as much as 6 months in advance.

An additional 25 passes for each date the firefly shuttle trolley was to run will be released on 10 am the day before departure by visiting www.recreation.gov. Cost for the shuttle is $1 per passenger round trip.

While these were all great ways to protect the resources in the park, increase visitor safety and be able to enjoy natures greatest light show right here in the Smokies which could go wrong? How about if the Great Smoky Mountains national park throws a huge party of the fireflies and the guest of honor don't show up!

The fireflies among lots of other plants and animals in the Great Smoky Mountains national park along the lower elevations are all screwed up. Phenologically that is.

Timing is everything in for much of nature in the natural world. When a flower is blooming there better be a way it gets pollinated, when fruit is born, something has to eat it to spread the seeds. Well this year the extremely warm winter and early spring has screwed everything up.

The Photinus Carolinus synchronized firefly starts as a glowworm living underground and emerges once the soil is around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. It likes to keep by slow moving water and uses its bioluminescence (light produced by a living organism) in the form of a greenish glow to attract mates.

Since we have been far too warm in the lower elevations this year, they emerged too soon. As a result, they are passing/past peak right now and by the time the shuttle service was scheduled to begin, the show will be poor and they may be virtually gone before the shuttle service ends.

Because of the tremendous logistic involved in safety handling such a number of people and the staffing along with the trolleys required to shuttle visitors to the firefly show in Elkmont, the Great Smoky Mountains national park cannot move the timing of the shuttles.

To further add to park visitor's frustration, because of safety concerns and staffing shortages, the national park closed Elkmont to all traffic at night other then campers starting tonight.

Other places to see the fireflies in the park right now include deep into Cades Cove around Hyatt Lane - about a 8 mile round trip hike in ideal walking conditions on a paved and gravel road, by the picnic area in Cosby. Other areas in the park to see the fireflies right now are risky to get into and none can handle more than a few dozen visitors a night at most.

As much as we have historical weather data for the park along with great in-depth knowledge of the synchronized fireflies, this year's weather has put a huge damper on nature's best light show in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Regardless whether the new reservation system was implemented or not, mother nature is to blame this time and I for one applaud the new system implemented by the park service.

For those around the Smokies in the next few weeks, as the light show moves up in elevation I will see if I can share 2 other places the show is good in the park.

Was this year's unusually warm weather following 2 particularly rough and unusual winters a result of climate change? It certainly looks that way based upon patterns we clearly see in the GSM park, which is not conclusive.

Portions of a degree up or down a few days earlier or later can wreak havoc on sensitive ecosystems and can threaten biodiversity around the world.

I just hope that decades from now we don't say "remember when the synchronized fireflies used to put their show on before Easter?"

Related Smokies Fireflies News Stories

Synchronized Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains

Friday, May 22, 2009

Synchronized firefly show in Great Smoky Mountains national parks Elkmont area 2009

When and where can I see the synchronized lightning bugs in the Great Smoky Mountains national park? This time of the year I get these questions about the fireflies in Elkmont more often that anything else other than where the black bear are.

The where is easy: in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains national park along the Little River Hiking Trail. When the best time to see the Synchronized firefly also called lightning bugs is a little less exact.

First of all lightning bugs have been out in the Smokies for more than a month already. Little flashes of green and blue from the fireflies have been visible just after sunsets in ever increasing numbers everywhere in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The firefly beetle responsible for the awesome synchronized show Photinus Carolinus, is seen best only in Elkmont and starts usually around the second week in June but the entire show is visible for about 3 weeks.

The lightning bugs synchronized light show is actually part of the fireflies mating behavior. This start and duration of firefly behavior can vary based upon, when they emerged, current temperature among other factors so and exact "peak date" of when it is the best to see the Synchronized firefly show in Great Smoky Mountains national park will hopefully be when the trolleys are running from June 6th to the 14th.

Some days more than 1,000 people can show up to view the synchronized lightning bugs in the GSMNP Elkmont section so to accommodate this volume of visitors who would not all be able to park in Elkmont, the Great Smoky Mountains national park will close Elkmont Road from 5 pm to 12 pm to all vehicles other than those of registered campers in the Elkmont Campgrounds.

The Great Smoky Mountains national park in cooperation with the city of Gatlinburg Tennessee will run shuttle trolleys from the Sugarlands visitor center parking area neat the city of Gatlinburg to Elkmont and back for only $1 a person.

The trolleys to take you to the Elkmont synchronized firefly show run from 6 pm to 9 pm or stop sooner if the parking area is full. Though the last trolley is scheduled to leave Elkmont by 11:00 pm but it can end up leaving after midnight.

You can not park in any of the pull offs or along Littler River Road from the Sugarlands to Metcalf Bottoms picnic areas when the trolley to the fireflies are running.

Since it is unsafe to walk or bike along roadways at night and you must take the trolley if you want to see the Synchronized firefly show in Great Smoky Mountains national parks Elkmont area.

If you are going to see the show you can brink along a blanket or small folding chairs and your own food and drink except for alcoholic beverages. Coolers are not allowed and what you bring must fit on your lap in the trolley. A small flashlight with a red led or cover so as not to disturb others is a good idea.

I personally like to hike in all the way to the Cucumber Gap Trailhead and slowly walk back to the parking area in order to see the Synchronized firefly show. The lightning bugs can be best seen on the side of the mountain or the flat area below by the trail away from the river and the fireflies will work their way down as the night progresses.

The Synchronized firefly show in Great Smoky Mountains national park is a must see event and well worth the trip!

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