Wall Doxey Fireflies - The State Park plays host to nature's light show

Eye On: Wall Doxey Fireflies

The state park plays host to nature’s light show

By Deborah Roberts

For a few weeks each year, thousands of flickering lights illuminate Wall Doxey State Park near Holly Springs. 

The park is one of only a few places worldwide where you can find Snappy Sync fireflies, known for their stunning synchronized light displays.

The fireflies peak around the last week of May and only last a few weeks. Between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. is prime time before they taper off for the night. Two years ago, the park began offering guided tours.

State Park Manager Lordish Matheney says the big firefly party in the woods is something you have to see for yourself. 

“The first time I saw it, I really couldn’t believe what I was looking at,” she said. “It’s something amazing. The lights and how they flash, it reminds me of a church choir. I can’t even explain it.”

Lightning Bug Lady

Lynn Frierson Faust of Knoxville, Tennessee, wrote “Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs,” the first comprehensive firefly guide for eastern and central North America ever published. 

According to Faust, there are 125 firefly species in North America, 21 of which are in Mississippi. During her visits to Wall Doxey in 2017 and 2018, she identified eight different species, including Photuris walldoxeyi, the cypress firefly she discovered and named for Wall Doxey State Park.

Faust says Mississippi seems to have enormous numbers of an extremely showy species, Photuris frontalis, also known as Snappy Sync. Although not as flashy as the Snappys, the Wall Doxey species is distinct and rare and appears in swamps slightly earlier than the Snappys.

“Some fireflies prefer to be out in the open, while some like to be along and over the water,” she said. “All species are very habitat-specific.” The Big Dipper, for example, comes out at dusk and likes open areas like the picnic and cabin areas. “If you grew up in Mississippi, it’s the one you probably caught in a jar,” she said.

Attentive observers can recognize each species by its flash pattern. “The Big Dipper makes a J-stroke every four to six seconds,” she said. “Snappy Sync flashes almost two times per second, very quick and bright on hot nights; once a second on cooler nights, yet extremely rhythmic. The hotter it is, the faster they flash. It’s like Morse code and very species-specific.”

See for Yourself

Don’t miss your chance to witness this natural wonder. Wall Doxey State Park offers guided firefly tours the last weekend of May. Tours start at 8:30 p.m. and cost $6 per person. For more information, call (662) 252-4231 or email walldoxeystatepark@mdwfp.state.ms.us.