Every year in April and May, it’s the best season in Taiwan for viewing fireflies. One of the best places to enjoy the glittering insects is the Wangyou Valley (忘憂谷) in West Lake Resortopia (西湖渡假村) in Sanyi Township, Miaoli County. Wangyou Valley is an enchanting place for viewing fireflies. During this time of the year, a large number of flashing fireflies flutter in the valley, and most part of the area becomes a dreamy sea of lights.

What’s called  “coin grass” locally because of the round, coin-like shape of the leaves of this plant (Hydrocotyle vulgaris) and mint grass are planted all over the viewing area in the park. Because the coin grass shows a bluish color in low light at night, and the fireflies emit a yellow-green light, the area looks like a glittering blue sea. It’s considered an alternative version of the “blue tears” phenomenon in Matzu, which is created by a special kind of algae that glows in a blue light when it is disturbed by ocean waves. That’s why the field of fireflies glowing in the coin grass is called "Sanyi Blue Tears." The mix of yellow-green and blue light intertwines into a fascinating and magical beauty, attracting many tourists and photographers to enjoy the sight and to take pictures.
 

Besides Wangyou Valley, in the Hakka villages along Taiwan Romantic Route 3, there are other places that are also very suitable for viewing fireflies. Let's take a look!

 

■ Hsinchu County’s Neiwan village

The Dongwo River (東窩溪) of Neiwan Village in Hsinchu County is rated as one of the best firefly viewing spots in Taiwan. The best time for viewing the little creatures during firefly viewing season is from 7 to 8 pm. The main places for viewing fireflies here are in Dongwo Xinghai Firefly Area (東窩星海螢區) and the Nanping Historical Trail (南坪古道). On the weekends, guided tours are available. When you come to Neiwan, you can also stroll through the old streets and experience the Hakka culture during the day. These daytime and nighttime activities make Neiwan a very suitable place for family trips on weekends!

 

■ Miaoli County’s Dahu Township

Located in the Dawo mountain area of Miaoli’s Dahu Township, the mountains where the main residential villages are located still maintain their original appearance. Whenever the firefly viewing season begins, about 100,000 fireflies often appear in the Dawo area at the same time. It's no exaggeration to describe the fireflies as filling pits and valleys.
 

The Dawo Mountain Historical and Ecological Association began by promoting the protection of Dawo Creek’s fisheries. It later discovered an abundant firefly ecology here. The clean environment and the water quality here help the fireflies survive, so the number of fireflies has become one of the indicators of environmental conservation. In order to maintain the natural ecology of Dawo Mountain, the local people deliberately leave some farmland abandoned as habitats for fireflies.
 

The firefly season in Dawo Mountain coincides with the tung blossom blooming season. So when you visit Dawo during this time, you should spend at least half a day here, so that you can experience the blossoms during the daytime and the fireflies at night, taking in these two different aspects of Dawo’s idyllic and natural scenery.

 

■ Taichung City’s Dongshih Forest

Dongshih Forest Garden (東勢林場) is the most beautiful forest garden in central Taiwan, and the peak of firefly viewing season usually comes in mid- to late April. There are many types of fireflies here, including black-winged fireflies, yellow margin fireflies, and Curtos sauteri fireflies. The number of fireflies can reach hundreds of thousands during the peak period.  Fireflies can be seen almost everywhere in the entire park. Every night, there is a free guided tour which leads tourists on a walk in the forest to watch and learn about the glowing night ecology.
 

Fireflies mostly inhabit low- and medium-altitude mountainous areas with no pesticides, no light pollution, and little other man-made pollution, so their presence is considered an indicator of the health of the ecological environment. Once the habitat of fireflies is polluted or disturbed, the population of fireflies will greatly decrease or even disappear. Just installing a street lamp on a country road where fireflies inhabit will leave the fireflies with nowhere to hide. Therefore, while watching fireflies, tourists must also abide by the rules: do not use flashlights, do not catch fireflies, and do not damage their habitats. Instead, we should cherish and protect this beautiful species.