Danae Wolfe | Chasing Bugs

@chasingbugs.com

I talk about, write about, and photograph backyard bugs and wildlife. Conservation starts at home. 🏡 chasingbugs.com

Fireflies have been loving this week's heat and humidity. Every night has been better than the one before. I sat outside for about an hour last night photographing the amazing firefly display in my suburban backyard and it was pure magic! ✨

Glowing orbs of yellow light up a backyard habitat of trees and tall grasses.

It’s oak treehopper season! We went scouting for oak treehopper colonies last night and found three mamas keeping a watchful eye on their eggs. Soon, eggs will hatch, giving way to small nymphs. Mama will stay with her offspring until they mature and leave the colony as new adults.

A mature female oak treehopper rests on a small oak branch next to rows of eggs tucked into slits in the bark.

It’s World Firefly Day! Everyone loves the glow. But #fireflies spend most of their lives underground, hidden in the damp soil and leaf litter, glowing softly where almost no one sees. So what do fireflies need from us? 🌙 Darkness 🌱 Undisturbed soils 🍂 Leaf litter and logs 🚫 No chemicals 🕰 Time

Colorful poster showing the four distinct life stages of a firefly—egg, larva, pupa, adult—in a natural habitat with leaves, logs, trees, and tall vegetation.

Today is World Bee Day. There are around 20,000 species of bees in the world, yet honey bees gets most of the fanfare. Here’s to the sweat bees, the leafcutter bees, the mason bees, the longhorn bees, the bumble bees, the carpenter bees, the squash bees, and all the rest of our unsung bee heroes!

Photo mosaic highlighting 12 colorful closeup photographs of a diversity of bees.

IT’S PUBLICATION DAY! Grass Isn’t Greener is officially out in the world! And I’ve been busy jumping from one interview to the next to promote the book. Between this week and next, I have nearly 20 media interviews and I couldn’t be more excited! 🥳

Book cover with title of “Grass Isn’t Greener” held up in front of computer screen next to microphone.

It’s easy to feel the weight of lost protections and broken promises. But stewardship was never theirs to give or take. Small acts still matter—in the patches we rewild, in the pollinators we protect, in the native seeds we sow, and in the wild things we tend. Hope still matters. Happy Earth Day.

A large tiger swallowtail butterfly visits hanging clusters of white flowers against a green background.A chunky green caterpillar rests on a silken web spun across a folded green leaf.A small white jumping spider with beady black eyes sits on a green leaf.A blue, red, and yellow leafhopper stands on a pale green leaf.

Peek-a-boo! This male luna moth’s large, feathery antennae aren’t just for show. They’re finely tuned instruments designed to pick up the faintest scent of a female from miles away (think of them as nature’s GPS). Also, when are we going to get a moth emoji? And a firefly!?

Close-up portrait of a male luna moth with large feathery antennae against a black background.

And so begins a busy season of book promotions. I have 13 upcoming radio, TV, and podcast interviews and around a dozen different talks scheduled in the coming months. I’m also working on a second book proposal for a bug book, which I’m incredibly excited about. Busy as a bee! 🐝

A laptop displaying a PowerPoint presentation title slide with the title “The Everyday Conservationist” and a photo of a gray tree frog next to a book entitled Grass Isn’t Greener.