HOW & WHEN: You can actually see them light up right here in Nibley for a short season! The fireflies can first be seen lighting up in early to mid-june and stop lighting up by early July but may continue into mid-july. They typically don’t come out until about 10 p.m. and one of the best times to view them is during a New Moon. Much of their activity depends on temperature, wind, and how wet the spring/summer is, they may be seen one night and not on the next depending on the conditions and the peak viewing period varies from year to year.
WHERE: The fireflies live in Nibley’s Firefly Park a protected wetland nature park. The best place to see them is along the sidewalk on the west side of Virgil Gibbons Heritage Park, near the big Willow Tree, where Firefly Park borders Heritage Park. You can park in either the parking lot for Heritage Park, located at 2380 S 800 W, or in the Firefly Park parking lot, which is located at 2400 S 1000 W. Please be aware of where your headlights are facing and turn them off as soon as it is safe to do so.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: Nibley’s parks are normally closed at this time of night, but special permission is granted for firefly viewing during firefly season. Nevertheless, please be respectful of neighbors and other park visitors by being quiet and by not adding light pollution, including flashlights or mobile phone screens.
Firefly Park is a nature park and it is illegal to capture or disturb wildlife there. This includes catching fireflies. Please do NOT attempt to catch the fireflies. They are a rare species and if too many of them are captured, we could lose this magical treasure.
FIREFLY WALKS: Offered by Stokes Nature Center, these walking tours offer an imersive interpretive experience with fireflies at Firefly Park. We suggest signing up well in advance as the tours typically sell out.
Nibley Firefly Tours