FOUNTAIN – Colorado bioartist Lauri Lynnxe Murphy strives to create music with fireflies by combining computer programming with guitar and theremin performances at the Fountain Creek Nature Center, along with the Center’s annual firefly walks.

“So what we have,” Murphy said, “is a little bit of code on a computer, [so that] when we point a camera at the fireflies, it translates into sound and we provide it as a live webcast. “

The purpose of the performance, funded through the Arts in Society grant and taking place on the third weekend of July, is to raise awareness of the presence and desires of Colorado’s firefly population by presenting their nighttime regimen from another perspective.

“They are elusive, you don’t know if you are going to catch them, but that is also why we want to know their habitats, inspire dark sky projects and, most importantly, locate them, genomically serialize them and know where. ” “They are,” said this artist focused on fireflies.

It’s a hobby shared by researchers at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster.

To that end, the Butterfly Pavilion encouraged Coloradans to document their own firefly encounters in an assignment called “Colorado Firefly Watch. “

In addition, the Pavillon Papillon has been carrying out the “Firefly Life Cycle Project” for several years; The task revolves around collecting wild fireflies and raising their young to improve the species.

This commission has already resulted in the transformation of four firefly larvae into adult fireflies, the most recent of which emerged on June 11, 2024.

The ultimate goal of this task is to create a “sustainable population of lab-bred fireflies,” which would contribute to the continued understanding and conservation of Colorado fireflies.

From there, the lab plans to distribute its firefly breeding strategies to other labs, spurring larger-scale studies and conservation efforts.

Although it will take more time to know whether Colorado firefly populations are declining or remain stable, studies imply that other firefly populations across the country have been affected by development.

Below are 10 minutes of an interview we conducted with Dr. Francisco García, Head of Entomology at the Butterfly Pavilion; He covers a variety of topics related to fireflies, from their presence in the state to efforts to better understand the insect.

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Going back to existing art, even in the event that many or no fireflies are seen, Lauri Lynnxe Murphy says that’s fine.

“Doing something like that, of course, carries a huge threat of failure,” Murphy said, “I can come all this way, exercise all these people here, spend all this money and not see fireflies, and I think, in a way , that’s the story. If you do something that has value in raising awareness, then that’s success. “

This year, likely due to unusually warm weather conditions, Dr. Francisco García says the peak of “firefly season” occurred in late June, about two weeks earlier than usual; Despite this, the scattered fireflies were Murphy’s visual musical pursuit.

Firefly season (usually mid-June to July) is largely over, but if you’re looking for the most productive sites to see those little bioluminescent beetles, check out the Butterfly Pavilion’s Firefly Watch page.

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A final note, if you live near wetlands and are looking for the best way to protect Colorado’s fireflies, the Butterfly Pavilion has provided these guidelines:

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