"Firefly Spotters Wonder If the Species Is Fading Away"

"There's something special about a warm summer night at dusk, around a campfire or under the stars in the backyard, when the darkness is suddenly illuminated by bright, fast flashes of light.

But are fireflies -- and the memories they inspire -- fading away forever?

The Museum of Science Boston wants to find out. Motivated by reports of fewer and fewer firefly sightings each summer, the museum has been recruiting backyard volunteers to study the luminescent flying beetle and report their sightings online.

The project, dubbed Firefly Watch, tracks and maps all the reports across the U.S. and Canada in an effort to determine the exact range of the firefly, their 'flashing' season and whether they really are in decline

'It's funny, as ubiquitous as fireflies are, there isn't a lot of scientific study or information about them,' Paul Fontaine, the museum's vice-president of education, tells CTV.ca."

Andy Johnson reports for CTV News September 26, 2010.