'An ecological miracle': Taiwan's fireflies are flirting in the dark again

Excited visitors take part in nightly tours after conservationists reintroduce the insects The nature guides are waiting outside a Taiwanese fried sausage shop on the outskirts of Taipei, easily identified by their quick-dry clothing, microphones, and laminated sheets of QR codes. They are also carrying several enlarged photos of insects. A group of about 50 excited people soon gathers, ready to start trudging up a nearby mountain in the dark.It is a ritual repeated across Taiwan at this time of year, as hundreds of thousands of people flock to more than 30 sites like this one, in Xindian. They gather in the hope of witnessing the twinkling lights of fireflies, a natural phenomenon that is beautiful, captivating, and under threat. Continue reading...