The Taipei City Government has named the city’s best locations for watching fireflies this month and next month, which is the peak season for watching the light-emitting insects.
A map published on its Web site shows that fireflies are most likely active in Rongxing Garden Park (榮星花園), Daan Forest Park (大安森林公園), Muzha Park (木柵公園), near Zhinan River (指南溪) and near Yangming River (陽明溪).
Firefly viewing season is officially from Monday next week to May 1, the city said, adding that it would hold guided tours during this period to teach the public about conservation efforts.
Photo: Kuo An-chia, Taipei Times
Firefly-related activities in Taipei during that time would include a vegetarianism festival in Daan Forest Park on April 22 to mark Earth Day, as well as concerts and craft events in the same location, Taipei Youth Park Management Office Director Wang Shu-ya (王淑雅) said.
A guided ecological tour would start a Caonan Bridge (草湳橋) and lead along Zhinan River in the city’s Wenshan District (文山), she said, adding that city officials would conduct tours in Daan Forest Park, and volunteers would conduct tours in Muzha Park and Rongxing Garden Park.
Although the activities would be outdoors, social distancing and mask wearing would be required as part of COVID-19 pandemic measures, she said.
Information about the events can be found on the city parks’ Web site at parks.taipei/firefly, she said.
Parks official Huang Shu-ju (黃淑如) said that while seeing fireflies in the city is usually difficult, insect experts Yang Ping-shih (楊平世), Wu Chia-hsiung (吳加雄) and Chen Te-hung (陳德鴻) would help park visitors get a glimpse of the insects.
As fireflies avoid strongly illuminated places, Everlight Electronics had donated special lamps with a wavelength of 590 nanometers that do not interfere with fireflies, Huang said.
The lights would be installed in Daan Forest Park and in the Hushan Firefly Ecological Zone, she said.
Huang thanked the Friends of Daan Forest Park Foundation, the Everlight Culture Foundation, the Tzu Chi Charity Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Qixing Environmental Green Foundation, officials from the city’s Geotechnical Engineering Office and volunteer partners for organizing the firefly season with Daan Forest Park.
Participants in firefly viewing activities should not take photographs with flash, use flashlights or wear light-emitting equipment, such as children’s shoes, as this could disturb the fireflies, she said.
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