Linggu Temple bans vehicles to protect fireflies

Dreamy midsummer night view of fireflies around Linggu Temple in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. [Photo/Xinhua]

To prevent bright headlights from disturbing fireflies during its mating season, the Administration Bureau of Zhongshan Mountain National Park announced to ban vehicles from entering the Linggu Temple all day starting from July 20 until the mating season ends.

Since "the most beautiful road with fireflies" at the Linggu Temple in Nanjing, Jiangsu province was released online in July, 2013, people rushed into the spot with cameras, flashlights and even bottles to catch fireflies, which reduced the number of fireflies in the area.

Experts say the rhythmic glow of fireflies can attract the opposite sex to mate. Once the rhythmic glow is disrupted by hard light, fireflies will lose the mating opportunity and reduce reproduction in number.