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Has anyone ever seen fireflies in Utah? I have lived here for 25 years and have never seen a firefly in Utah. However, last night I took my son fishing for Large Mouth Bass near Goshen, UT and we found swarms of them just after dark. They were only above the marshes, but we saw hundreds of them. I tried to take video, but my video camera was not sensitive enough to pick up their glow. I have always believed that you had to go east of the Mississippi to find them. But not true. They can be found right here in Utah.
Here is a picture of one we caught. We took this after we got home. Crazy!!
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By the way, here are a couple bass we caught in this area.
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When we lived on the west side of Payson, we saw them all of the time over a little bog area just south-west of our house. No one believed me, but my wife is from Virginia and knew exactly what they were.
BTW, was that at Goshen Reservoir?
Matt
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It is too dry here, I imagine that the ones you see have been transplanted and they survive only in areas where there is warm moist air. Grew up in Missouri and chased them all the time, even collected them for some researchers looking into bio-luminescence, got a penny a piece for them. Been here for over 40 years and have never seen one in Utah, so if you see them here, it is an anomaly !!
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Saw my first ones in Heber over twenty years ago down by the river.
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Live to hunt----- Hunt to live.
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I have lived in Utah for 37 years and have never seen any, I grew up in WI. and enjoyed watching them on warm summer nights, I would like to see them once again.
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I have seen a few here in Southeast Idaho. Probably a total of 10 over a 25 year period. Very very few!!
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Ive scene them.here in s/e Idaho also ive only ever scene them iin one spot but I see them every year one of the things that keeps me going back to.the spot they are.
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Not at Goshen reservoir, it was actually just below the old abandon Tintic Standard Reduction Mine on the hill between Goshen and Santaquin. The fireflies were in the Warm Springs swampy areas below. They came out just as it got dark.
There is a very healthy and flourishing population of fireflies in this area. If you are itching for a firefly experience, this is the place to be.
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Never seen them in Utah, but grew up in Glenn's Ferry Idaho and they were there.
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That was my second guess. Last time I was out there, we were run off by the Sheriff. That was well over 20 years ago though.
I may have to take my wife out there so she can have a little nostalgia. And fish.
Matt
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Hmmm. I wonder how a fire fly fly pattern would work? Heck I'd like to see a fire fly pattern that really glows!
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I may be reviving a week old post, but we have had them in garden city for years and years. The swampy area just NNW of the city park has them at night when the temps hit over 70 degrees. When I tried to catch one it got killed and my 5 year old daughter cried because she thought I had killed a fairy 
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I let BYU know about them. Apparently BYU is doing some significant research on them trying to find out why and how they are in Utah. The professor I talked to thinks they have always been in Utah, but in small numbers. For some reason they seem to be growing in numbers recently.
That same BYU professor ran down last week to the area I found them. He said that when he was there, he saw thousands of them, and called it the largest population of them he had seen in the state. He said it is the same species that is found along the east coast, and in parts of southern idaho.
It is quite the spectacle for all those that are interested in seeing them.
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I have a cousin that lives in Nibley and he seen some last summer around a spring/pond in his backyard.
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[quote BTW-FishOn][/quote]
Not at Goshen reservoir, it was actually just below the old abandon Tintic Standard Reduction Mine on the hill between Goshen and Santaquin.
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Is that on the west side of the mountains and about a 1/2 mile south after driving across some railroad tracks. If so, I used to fish those ponds as a child while my family swam in one of the ponds. Once when I was probably about age 3, I asked if we could go fishing to Warm Springs and mom replied that we didn't have any gas in the car. I took the garden hose and filled the tank up with water and told her that I had filled the tank and we could now go fishing! Oh the innocence of youth.[blush]
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[quote BTW-FishOn]I let BYU know about them. Apparently BYU is doing some significant research on them trying to find out why and how they are in Utah. The professor I talked to thinks they have always been in Utah, but in small numbers. For some reason they seem to be growing in numbers recently.
That same BYU professor ran down last week to the area I found them. He said that when he was there, he saw thousands of them, and called it the largest population of them he had seen in the state. He said it is the same species that is found along the east coast, and in parts of southern idaho.
It is quite the spectacle for all those that are interested in seeing them.[/quote]
I would love to go see them, my wife has only lived in Utah her entire life and thus has never seen a firefly. Where is this spot at anyway?
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careful, last time I checked it was closed completely...
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[quote ifishutah]careful, last time I checked it was closed completely...[/quote]
Looking at the utah county recorder site, it looks like it's owned by the DNR. Any idea what the official name of the pond is, if it has one?
Matt
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Attached is a map of the area. I am not sure how long they will last before their mating season is over, so I would get down there right away if you are interested in seeing them.
When I was there, I did not see any closed or posted signs keeping people out.
Also, if you intend to fish in this area, please remember that there are heavy metals in the water from the mine and you will not want to eat these fish.
After you go, come back and let us know about your experience.
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