I Spy Fireflies!

Saturday August 1, 2026 7:00 pm to Saturday August 8, 2026 10:00 pm

In-person

Creek Walk, Family Activity, Major Event

Flow365, Family Education, River Restoration, River Run Network, Volunteer

Grab a friend or bring the family out for our 1st annual “I Spy Fireflies!” Spend two Saturday nights in August exploring Tucson’s creeks and rivers – at night! Our mission: to discover and record where fireflies live and then work to protect and expand their habitat.

On August 1st (7pm - 9pm) join our Community Celebration at our Living Lab & Learning Center and learn all about these magical creatures and prepare for the field survey. Purple Tree Organic Acai Food Truck will be at the event for you to purchase acai bowls, smoothies, vegan shakes, and ice cream.

Then on August 8th (7pm - 10pm), join our Community Count and venture out to your river destination with one of our survey leads and other participants. You’ll observe the plants, water flows, and creatures that come out at night. Our hope is that fireflies light up the night.

We’ll be surveying over a dozen sites, all areas that have regular flows and riparian forests. When you sign up, you’ll get to choose your top three creek destinations that you’d like to explore.

There are two threatened species of flashing fireflies found in the Tucson area: the Southwest spring firefly (Bicellonycha wickershamorum), which is under review for Endangered Species Act listing, and the Southwest synchronous firefly (Photinus knulli) . Fireflies are becoming more and more rare, and their presence indicates a healthier riparian habitat. The Southwest synchronous fireflies only come out during the summer monsoon, in the evening hours, so this is an ideal time for sightings.

I Spy Fireflies is hosted by Watershed’s River Run Network in partnership with the Xerces Society.

What to Expect on a Community Firefly Count

I spy fireflies! Along with the celebration, we would love for you and your family to join us on our community firefly count on Saturday, August 8th! We will be venturing out to over a dozen sites along our rivers in search of these rare insects. You’ll observe the plants, water flows, and creatures that come out at night. Our hope is that fireflies light up the night.

Explore the River

We will be venturing out to sites along our rivers, you can indicate your location preferences through a google form but we cannot grantee your placement.

Use Your Observation Skills

You’ll observe the plants, water flows, and creatures that come out at night. Fireflies are becoming more and more rare, and they have short windows of time when they are flashing. We encourage you to be patient and vigilant as you search for them on our community count.

Pack a Headlamp and a Camp Chair

It will be dark out before these insects arrive, bring a light source! We encourage a red light headlamp to ensure as little light pollution as possible. We also encourage bringing a chair, you may be in the same spot for a while!

Event Sponsors