Hannibal Parks & Recreation is once again offering Night Hikes through Sodalis Nature Preserve.

Firefly Fridays will be 8 p.m. June 12 and 26 at Sodalis Nature Preserve.

Gale Rublee, nature educator, said, “Adult fireflies or lightning bugs can be seen in fields, forests, along streams, and in people’s backyards from May through August in Missouri. There are several different species of fireflies and whichever ones like to live at Sodalis seem to peak in June.”

She said participants will likely see lots of fireflies. “Beginning to flash just after sunset, fireflies turn mid-summer evenings into an enchanted fairy like kingdom. The wonder of how these beetles use bioluminescence seems just as magical as fairies.”

Night Hikes are scheduled on the second and fourth Fridays of the month (weather permitting) about half an hour before sunset. The full program lasts approximately two hours and follows a 2-mile paved trail. Participants are welcome to stay with the group or return to the parking lot on their own. Activities include seasonal observations, sensory activities and the story of how Sodalis Nature Preserve was created.

There is a strict limit of 20 participants to allow for social distancing and reservations must be made by calling Hannibal Parks & Recreation at 221-0154 or by emailing mlrichards@hannibal-mo.gov.

Rublee is nature educator for Hannibal Parks & Recreation and has been providing “Nature Moments with Gale” online while HPR activities were suspended. She had previously been a naturalist and teacher at Shaw Nature Reserve in St. Louis and has been a storyteller and actor. She is the coordinator and teacher for the Bluff City Theater Youth Education Theater Initiative and is a founding member of the Mississippi Hills Master Naturalists.