Screen capture of firefly map of Taiwan created by Xin Media Screen capture of firefly map of Taiwan created by Xin Media

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- As the peak firefly season runs from mid April to the end of May, Xin Media (欣傳媒) has created a Google map with 243 of the best locations to view fireflies in Taiwan.

The map is broken into four zones: Greater Taipei in red, northern Taiwan in orange, central Taiwan in green, south-central Taiwan in blue, eastern Taiwan in purple, and Taiwan's outer islands in gray. Certain choice locations also have photographs of the little bright bugs in action.

The best time to watch the glowing insects is between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. when they are most energetic, according to a tour guide in Kaohsiung's Namasia District, which houses the town of Maya (瑪雅) shown on the map.

Also listed on the map is Hemei Mountain, which is a hop, skip and a jump from the Taipei MRT Xindian Station, one of the most accessible spots to see the incandescent insects in their natural habitat.



Fireflies in Nantou County in central Taiwan. (Photo by Liu Kang-ting 劉冠廷)



Fireflies in Nantou County. (Photo by Liu Kang-ting 劉冠廷)