When does the famous Alishan firefly season start? If I take visitors there at the end of March, will the fireflies be around?
[quote=“banshette”]When does the famous Alishan firefly season start? If I take visitors there at the end of March, will the fireflies be around?[/quote]I seem to remember it’s March/April. Different areas have slightly different firefly seasons, due to different species I think.
You don’t have to go to Alishan to see fireflies though. There are quite a few places in the counties of Taichung, Miaoli, and I think Hsinchu where you can see them.
And in the hills around Mucha and Hsintien as well. I saw loads last year – they were all over my clothes and everything. I also see one or two in my yard at Bitan nearly every year.
Yeah they seem to be getting more and more numerous in Mucha. Never seen them as thick as Sandman described though. Where was that?
Around Alishan, Ruili is supposed to have the best show as the locals have been restricting the use of pesticides for years. Season is from March to June.
A bit difficult to describe unless you know where the big drum is (a short way up a trail off one of the roads that takes you over the hill from Maokong to Hsintien). If you DO know where the big drum is, then that’s where I saw them. Hundreds and hundreds of them. A magical sight.
A bit difficult to describe unless you know where the big drum is (a short way up a trail off one of the roads that takes you over the hill from Maokong to Hsintien (Xindian)). If you DO know where the big drum is, then that’s where I saw them. Hundreds and hundreds of them. A magical sight.[/quote]
Yep, I know that spot well, and actually I used to go to that area years ago to watch the fireflies. I stopped as the road up from Mucha was wiped out for a while and I found how to get onto the trails further east. There were a lot of fireflies then but it sounds like they are even more abundant now. Thanks for the reminder. I’ll have to go back this spring for a look.
You don’t drive up to the area from Xindian do you? That’s one steep road on your side.
Its a handy thing to even know there are fireflies!
First year in I was running at dusk and spotted the LED glow from a mobile phone so figured I better fossick around and pick it up.
Damn thing flew away of course joined by a second flying mobile phone. Good memory though of the early discovery times in Taiwan.
That was top of the mountain/ hill near our home in Yang Mei but we do not seem to have bucket loads of them.
The foothills around and behind Shrmen dam are loaded with them…
Hardcore, baby! 
Actually, it’s not so bad apart from one or two little stretches.
OK this may sound stoopid, but where is this dam? Close to Taipei? And how does one get there?
Shrmen dam is in the backside of Taoyuan County, a pretty fair distance from Taipei.
If you want to see fireflies congregated closer to Taipei, then check out the areas metioned by Sandman/Muchaman.
Fireflies are pretty common in Taiwan…It’s seeing them in huge numbers that makes it special.
[quote=“MJB”]Shrmen dam is in the backside of Taoyuan County, a pretty fair distance from Taipei.
If you want to see fireflies congregated closer to Taipei, then check out the areas metioned by Sandman/Muchaman.
Fireflies are pretty common in Taiwan…It’s seeing them in huge numbers that makes it special.[/quote]
When the time comes Banshette I’ll draw a map showing the direction to the firefly area in Mucha and put it online. But if you want to go a little further afield with guests rent a car. Shrmen Dam is only an hour away and the whole drive from there across the North Cross Island highway and then down to Ilan and back to Taipei makes for a fantastically scenic few days of travel.
Someone correct my pinyin please - but Jhihben - the area famous for its hot springs has loads of fireflies as well. I have wonderful memories of relaxing in a hot spring by myself in the mountain air, surrounded by fireflies.
[quote=“AWOL”]Someone correct my pinyin please - but Jhihben - the area famous for its hot springs has loads of fireflies as well. I have wonderful memories of relaxing in a hot spring by myself in the mountain air, surrounded by fireflies.[/quote]Was there on Sunday. Saw lots of monkeys. I’ve seen monkeys in the wild here before but never as many as at Zhiben. Jumping from tree to tree, eating leaves, picking fleas off each other. I spent some time standing watching them. Amazing.
Thank you, that’s exactly what we’re going to do - rent a car and get going! My guests will be here for the last two weeks in March so it would be fantastic if you could have a map ready by that time!
The problem is that we won’t have too much time to just drive around, due to my work obligations. Good, concise directions would therefor be highly appreciated. 
We’re also going to Taroko Gorge and Alishan, if anybody has nice day-trip tips for around there.
The fireflies are out now. I saw loads of them off the 106 near Jingtong yesterday. Later, I took my wife up to the spot Sandman mentions in Maokong (the big drum trail) but we didn’t see that many. Wait another week or two.
Sandman, we the fireflies thickest on the trail/road up to the drums or around the stage where the drums are?
On the short trail from the road up to the clearing is where they were thickest. What does it look like up there now? I heard they’ve demolished the old main shelter and that all that remains is the drum itself.
From a firefly talk on Saturday in Wulai, I learned that larval fireflies eat snails.
They stick in a tube and disolve the snail and then suck it out.
Yikes.
It was too dark to continue right up to the drums (my car flashlight’s batteries were dead I discovered when we arrived) but from the light of the streetlights below on the main road we walked up 100 yards or so up the dirt road. The dirt road looked like it had been worked on. The sides did not have as much brush as before and were more heavily eroded on the sides. Still a lot of betelnut growing and we saw a number of fireflies amongst the trees.
When you say the “On the short trail from the road up to the clearing” do you mean the narrow trail off the dirt road (which is itself off the main road)?
I hope they didn’t destroy the old stage. That was such a beautiful setting. 
BTW, I forget how great the view over Taipei is from up there. Fireflies and city lights. Great combo.
Precisely.