As of Jun 19, 2026, 7:24 PM, peak season now, through ~June 27. Earth Exhibit tracks the live conditions and flags it the moment it is on.
For a few warm nights in mid-to-late June, the forest floor of Watoga State Park goes silent and then erupts in unison.
Photinus carolinus, the only firefly in the United States known to synchronize its flashes, fills the understory with waves of light that build, peak, and cut to total blackness, then begin again, hundreds of insects pulsing together like a slow heartbeat.
The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources confirmed the species here in 2020, and the discovery helped seal the park's International Dark Sky designation the following year, so the show happens under genuinely black skies with the Milky Way overhead.
The males flash a sequence of five to eight pulses, then pause, all of them locking onto the same rhythm so that the whole hillside seems to breathe.
It is a brief, weather-dependent window each summer, and the park runs limited guided programs to keep crowds and light pollution from disrupting the display.
Seeing it means standing in the dark, letting your eyes adjust, and watching a forest light itself with no flashlight, no fire, just thousands of beetles keeping time together.
Where to see it
A taste of where to see it. The full map, exact coordinates and the best timing for each spot live in the app.
| Viewing spots |
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| Watoga State Park (Guided Firefly Program) |
This is the short version
This page shows a taste. The app has the full list of where to see this, the exact timing, and live conditions for 1,000+ natural phenomena worldwide, so you know the moment one is genuinely worth the trip.