Claire Graves grew up in Ackerman, but has lived in Jackson for many years where she works for the Mississippi Department of Human Services. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing communications and public relations from the University of Mississippi. She went on to obtain a master’s in public policy and education from Vanderbilt University. While she works at the Department of Human Services for her day job, she has a special interest in fireflies and sharing some of Mississippi’s special nature wonders with the public. She became a Mississippi Master Naturalist five years ago and helps put on the annual Snappy Sync Soiree and Tours at the Mississippi Craft Center in May during the peak of the fireflies’ yearly display along the historic Natchez Trace Parkway.
What are Snappy Sync Fireflies?
Snappy Sync Fireflies are one of three species of fireflies in North America that can synchronize their flash pattern. This is an unusual phenomenon in nature and Mississippi is home to one of those three species: the Snappy Sync Fireflies. You may have heard about another species that is up in the Great Smoky Mountains that is also synchronous. Ours are a little bit different but just as magical and super special.
Would we see these fireflies in our backyard in Mississippi?
No, Mississippi has lots of different types of fireflies – about a dozen, maybe two dozen different species of fireflies. The ones that you see in your backyard are a different kind that are sometimes called Big Dippers. They are our most common firefly. But Snappy Syncs like a different habitat. They like a wooded area with undisturbed leaves on the ground. So, you are not going to see them in your yard because they need that ground cover to hide and hang out the rest of the year. We think about fireflies as a summer creature and that is when they are an adult form, but they are with us all year round going through the other parts of their lifetime.
What allows them to synchronize their flash pattern?
This is really still something that scientists are trying to understand. These fireflies tend to come out in big groups, and that is one of the reasons that we think they synchronize. The male fireflies are what you see out flashing in the air. The female fireflies are down on the ground watching the males to try to pick out the right guy for them. So, the idea is that, if the females were seeing every kind of different flash with random patterns, it would be super overwhelming and they couldn’t handle it. They have, over time, begun this pattern of synchronization – maybe, we don’t know for sure – to make it something the community understood and not be too crazy and overwhelming to the females. We think they do it by sight. Sometimes you’ll be out in the woods and see two or a whole bunch of fireflies get a barrier between them where they can’t see each other anymore, and they’ll get out of sync. Then, when they get back to where they can see each other, they’ll sync back up. Fireflies have huge eyes if you ever catch one and take a look at it.
What is the Snappy Sync Soiree?
We are really excited to have the Snappy Sync Soiree be added to our series of events this year. It is the first time we are doing it. It will be our party night. We are going to do a preview party before we kick off our regular tours. It is a time for people who are interested in fireflies or just interested in a good time and a good way to start off the summer to get together and have some food and drinks and fellowship. Then, they’ll be able to go outside and stay an hour or so watching the Snappy Sync Fireflies at one of their peak nights. The event will host 100 plus people from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on May 19 for light refreshments, music, a firefly education session, and firefly viewing. Visitors are invited to bring camp chairs and blankets for a comfortable viewing. The cost is $35.
What is the Nighttime Photography Workshop?
That is another thing that we have added this year. The Nighttime Photography Workshop is an opportunity for people who want to take some pictures of Snappy Sync Fireflies. Fireflies are really hard to capture on film because of all the light contrast and they are moving. There are a lot of different elements that make it challenging. Professor Kim Rushing is going to be there leading a workshop and then people will have a long, good opportunity to work together with him and one another to improve their nighttime photography, especially around fireflies. It will be a hands-on workshop for a group of 15 participants. There will be 30 minutes of classroom time, an opportunity to join the Snappy Sync Soiree party, and then cameras will be set up along the Brashear’s Stand and Old Trace pull out to experiment with techniques and equipment to develop their skills. This event will be May 19 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The cost is $50.
What are the Snappy Sync Firefly Tours?
This is our third year to do the Firefly Tours. All three of these events are at the Craft Center and we go over to the Natchez Trace Parkway area. The firefly tours are a 20-minute guided tour with 15 guests each. We have a group of Mississippi Master Naturalists that give the tours, and it is an opportunity for people to get out into the fireflies, ask their questions, learn about them, and really just observe thousands of synchronized fireflies at the start of the summer. The tours will take place May 20-22 with tours beginning at 8 p.m. each night and concluding at 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9:40 p.m. on Sunday. There are 12 tours each night leaving 10 minutes apart from one another for a total of about 510 people. The cost is $8.
Why is this weekend so special to see the fireflies?
Fireflies do their display for a short period of time. They are only adults for two to three weeks. So, the time that we see Snappy Sync Fireflies in Central Mississippi is between Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. We are predicting, based on what we know now, for this to be a really good time to be able to get out and see the fireflies.
What would you say to encourage people to come?
It is a really fun time. Every year we have lots of different people come and we sell out. People really have a takeaway of something they’ve never seen before and something they didn’t know was happening right around them. It is something that is special that you can share with your family and friends. It is a great memory to make together.
Which event are you most looking forward to?
The Snappy Sync Soiree is really the thing we are looking forward to. It was our hope to be able to do it when we first started the event but we had Covid for the past two years and couldn’t do it. This is our first opportunity to really get together with lots of friends and supporters and people who are enthusiastic about this and spend a whole evening just celebrating this special thing right here in Mississippi that we can enjoy.
How can people sign up?
You can purchase tickets at our website: msfireflynet.eventbrite.com. People should hurry because we’ve already sold half our tickets. Ticket sales typically pick up starting now and, once we sell out, we are out! We are excited to welcome about 600 people this year. Last year, we had people from several different states and 35 cities across Mississippi come. Call your friends and family and get your tickets now.
We have some great sponsors this year. We are really grateful for our sponsors and people who want to invest in something that can be a tourism attraction right here along the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. I really appreciate their support this year.
