As spring blooms across the Carolinas, Congaree National Park and Grandfather Mountain are both preparing to host viewing events for an incredibly rare natural display: the annual synchronous firefly dance.
From May 14 to May 21, these rare fireflies will light up the park in a mesmerizing, coordinated flashing dance as a part of their unique mating ritual.
Congaree National Park (about an hour south of Charlotte) and Grandfather Mountain (about 2 hours north of Charlotte) are some of the few places in the world where people can witness this rare firefly phenomenon.
Due to the overwhelming demand to witness the dance, tickets will be extremely limited in both locations. Grandfather Mountain has created an email notification system here, and Congaree will offer limited tickets to visitors through a lottery system here. The lottery opens at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 3, and closes at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 9. Only one entry is allowed per household, and each pass will be valid for one day only.
“The light show that the synchronous fireflies put on is actually a mating ritual,” said John Caveny, Director of Education and Natural Resources at the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. “There is a call and response going on between the males and females of the species. The males are flying around, and the females are in the grass. One group of males will emit a flashing pattern as they try to find receptive females, and the females will respond by replicating that flashing pattern, which creates the synchronous effect.”
Here’s a brief overview of the science behind the mating ritual of the rare creature:
