“Male fireflies fly around looking for mates while females remain close to the ground and signal in tall grass – those flying fireflies you catch are almost all males,” explains Crumbley. Why are some places seeing more fireflies this summer? Fireflies operate on a two-year gap between generations, with adult fireflies living about one to four weeks depending on the species and environmental conditions. How to promote fireflies around youEven with these synchronous events and reported sightings, fireflies are still in trouble and at serious risk of extinction. Fireflies need dark skies to find their mates, so tackling light pollution is another solution.