Listening to:
How a Rare Firefly Species Strengthens Community in a Rural Texas City
0:00
/
0:00
Bringing people and ideas together to fund, conduct, and share transformative science.
Our grants advance knowledge and strengthen connections between science and society.
Discover the latest news, research, and updates.
We convene scientists, mathematicians, and thinkers to share ideas and explore new questions.
Founded by Jim and Marilyn Simons, we’re a private philanthropy advancing mathematics and basic science.
Work with us on the frontier of basic science research.
The Flatiron Institute is a research center that uses computational science to advance fields like physics, biology, and astronomy.
Search
Through Main Street America’s Science Discovery on Main Street initiative, Hillsboro, Texas, is turning its beloved fireflies into opportunities for community pride, connection and discovery.
Fireflies are an indelible part of Hillsboro, Texas. Generations of residents have spent summers catching them in jars or watching them flicker in the evening from their front porches. “Fireflies have been here in this town forever,” says Tiffany Baron, Hillsboro’s main street manager. But “we didn’t know we had something special.”
Together with researcher Ben Pfeiffer, Hillsboro residents realized that the fireflies in their city are actually quite rare. About the size of a grain of rice, the Photinus dimissus has a glittering double flash that has earned it the nickname “Texas two-stepper.” Baron, along with her colleague Allyson Cliett, quickly saw an opportunity. The 2024 total solar eclipse had proved that science was a uniquely powerful tool to bring their community together.
So they launched “Glow Hillsboro,” a series of downtown installations and community events designed to celebrate the “Texas two-stepper” and the things that make Hillsboro special. Lamppost banners and a mural reintroduced the insects to passersby, while events brought people together for firefly talks, art activities, live music and more.
The work is part of a broader initiative from Main Street America called “Science Discovery on Main Street,” which aims to help Main Street communities across the country uncover and celebrate their unique science assets and history.
In this video, see how Baron and Cliett enabled their friends and neighbors to view these insects — and their hometown — in a new light.
Hillsboro and Main Street America joined the Science, Society & Culture community of awardees in 2024.