Photo and time-lapse video by babaktafreshi / On this summer night of Maine, I was mesmerized by fireflies in a blueberry field, shining under the Milky Way. Fireflies are incredible insects, found on every continent except Antarctica. They communicate in a delicate language of light. They signal for mating, warn others of predators, and defend their territory. But they need natural darkness, and we have changed that in many places with our artificial lights, and the intensely bright white-blue LEDs have made it worse. Evidence suggests that light pollution has contributed to the decline of firefly populations (and other nocturnal insects) across the globe. Studies found an almost 50% decrease in firefly flashes per minute in the presence of artificial light—and that means less mating and thus fewer fireflies. As suggested by the International Dark Sky Association, people who live away from the city lights can help fireflies "talk" to each other by using fewer exterior lights and turni...