Specialty
Birds migrate through Naples at night, fireflies signal in the dark, bats and frogs feed after sunset. Lighting can share a property with them. It takes fewer fixtures, lower and shielded, on a timer, and an honest look at which lights are decoration.
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Illustration: the preserve edge uplit and floodlit at right, lit low and timed at left
If you want the garden lit and alive
If you want your garden lit without driving away what lives in it, start with what light does. FWC says artificial light attracts some animals, like moths and frogs, repels others and shifts day and night patterns, and it calls lighting a form of habitat loss. On a beachfront lot, sea turtles add rules of their own.
FWC puts the scale plainly: "artificial light causes disruption of behavior, injury, and death to thousands of migrating birds, sea turtles and other reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and invertebrates." It describes light that "attracts some organisms (moths, frogs, sea turtles)," trapping or exhausting them, and light that extends the day for songbirds.
None of that means a property cannot be lit. It means the lighting is planned with the night in mind: less of it, lower and better shielded, for fewer hours, in warmer light. Most of what that takes is good lighting practice anyway, and the rest is a choice about decoration, which this page is honest about.
Sea turtles have their own rules and their own page: turtle-friendly coastal lighting. This page is about everything else that uses a Naples yard after dark.
Wildlife-friendly lighting design
Every wildlife source we read gives the same order of work: first remove light that has no purpose, then mount what stays low, shield it so the source is hidden, put it on a timer or sensor, and only then think about color. This garden starts fully lit. Scroll through the order.
First, and strongest
The 2024 review of insect-friendly lighting found the strongest evidence for removing unnecessary light. Xerces puts "tree lights and facade lighting" first among the lights to remove, and USFWS asks for no upward spot and flood lights during bird migration. Here the uplight on the tree is the one that goes.
Second
FWC says keeping light low and fully shielded, so bulbs and glowing lenses are not visible, "cuts down on the amount of glare and light visible to the animals." The path lights stay, turned down and shaded so they light the ground and nothing above it.
Third
USFWS recommends motion sensors so lights come on only when people are present, and DarkSky’s principles say to use light only when it is needed. Late at night, this garden is dark until someone walks the path.
Last, and least certain
Only then is color chosen. DarkSky advises 3000K and below and FWC says long wavelength light seems dimmer to many night animals, but a 2024 review found color changes generally ineffective in practice, and one study found red light drew migrating bats. Warmer helps some animals. It is not a substitute for the steps before it.
Ask about a wildlife-friendly planMigrating birds
Most migrating birds travel at night, steering by moon and stars. Bright light can draw them in and trap them, especially in bad weather. USFWS asks for upward spot and flood lights to be switched off during migration, and Audubon Florida asks people to turn out as many lights as possible. Sources disagree on the months.
FWC says artificial lights can "trap" migratory birds "by bleaching their visual pigments, causing them to lose sight of the horizon and circle within the cone of light." USFWS adds that birds "are frequently attracted to lighting, especially during inclement weather events in the migration season." Low cloud and rain push birds lower, which is when lit trees and buildings matter most.
USFWS asks for exterior lighting to be fully shielded and for decorative lighting to be eliminated during migration, specifically "upward directed spot- and flood-lights." It also recommends motion sensors, and it is honest that these measures "will not eliminate collisions." Audubon Florida’s advice is simpler: "Turn out as many lights as possible during migration season."
Uplighting is decorative. During migration, decoration can wait.
Sources do not agree, and none is written for Naples. USFWS gives early April through late May and mid-August through early November. Tropical Audubon’s Lights Out Miami gives March 15 to May 15 and August 15 to November 15. Audubon notes fall migration can start "as early as July" for some birds. We found no Lights Out program for Southwest Florida. So a migration schedule is set with you, not from one quoted window.
The uplights on palms and trees go on their own zone, so they can run less or not at all in migration months while the path and entry lights carry on. That is a few minutes of programming on a controlled system: see timers and a migration-season schedule and running a seasonal level or curfew on one zone. For the palms themselves, see our palm uplighting page.
Sources, read 2026-10-13: FWC, Light pollution; USFWS, Reducing bird collisions with buildings and building glass; Audubon Florida; Tropical Audubon Society, Lights Out Miami.
Shorebirds
FWC lists four beach-nesting birds as state Threatened and asks people to keep at least 300 feet away, to avoid fireworks on beaches and to plan rooftop work around breeding season. Its guidelines for these birds name disturbance, habitat loss and predation as the threats, not landscape lighting. Point at each.
Illustration 
Insects
Light draws many insects out of their habitat and holds them there, and fireflies, which signal with light, flash less where it is bright. The Xerces Society's first step is to remove cosmetic lights such as tree and facade lighting. Warmer color helps in some studies and not in others, so it comes last.
The Xerces order, one step at a time
FWC says "even one artificial light source can disrupt normal flight activity" and draw insects out of their habitat, and DarkSky calls it "a fatal attraction". Insects that circle a light all night are not feeding, mating or pollinating, and they are easy prey for whatever waits at the edge of the beam.
UF/IFAS Extension says fireflies "avoid areas with high volumes of artificial lights," and that more light around dusk means fewer fireflies. DarkSky reports a Maryland study that found almost 50 percent fewer flashes per minute in artificial light. A firefly’s flash is how it finds a mate; a lit garden drowns it out.
The Xerces Society’s firefly guidance starts with "Remove lights that only serve a cosmetic purpose, such as tree lights and facade lighting." Its next steps are to place landscape lighting "low to the ground" and shield lights so they point down. That is the design order at the top of this page.
DarkSky advises 3000K and below, Xerces suggests warm or red LEDs, and a Smithsonian study in Peru found amber-filtered LEDs drew far fewer insects than white. But a 2024 review of the evidence found changing color "generally ineffective in practice." Warmer light is worth choosing; it is not the main fix.
Bats, frogs and geckos
Some bats feed at lights and others avoid them, and the endangered Florida bonneted bat's federal habitat rule values darkness. Frogs gather at lights to forage, and the invasive Cuban treefrog waits on lit walls. Geckos feed at light too. The answer is the same: lower, shielded, on a curfew. Point at a number on this lanai.
FWC says some bats feed in lit areas, while others avoid them and are outcompeted.
FWC says the effects of light on frogs are not well studied; lights may alter nest hiding and calling, and some frogs gather at lights.
FWC says geckos are drawn to light to feed; UF/IFAS describes invasive Cuban treefrogs waiting on lit walls.
A NightScapes lanai looking out over a lake. The points mark where each animal is usually found around a lit property, not animals in this photo.
On the water
Light at the water changes what happens beneath it. A peer-reviewed study that placed LED spotlights under a wharf found fish predatory behavior was much higher under the lights than on unlit nights. We found no agency guidance on dock lights and manatees, so we say nothing about them. Dock lighting is kept shielded and modest.
Underwater lights at a dock are chosen for what owners want to see, and the evidence on what they do to the water is thin. The honest position is to keep them modest, aimed down and on a schedule rather than all night. Fixtures, color and placement are covered under underwater lights at a dock.
Local rules
Outside sea turtle protection, wildlife lighting is mostly guidance, not law, in this area. Sanibel's citywide standards aim to minimize disturbance of wildlife and keep its dark sky. Big Cypress is an International Dark Sky Place. We found no Collier, Naples or Lee County rule for birds, bats or insects.
Sanibel’s outdoor lighting standards apply citywide, and their stated purpose includes minimizing glare, light trespass and skyglow and minimizing disturbance of wildlife. The code quotes the Sanibel Plan: "In order to maintain the dark sky of this nonurban community, minimize outdoor lighting." It also states "Uplighting is prohibited," with a limited exemption for low landscape and path lights.
The National Park Service describes Big Cypress National Preserve as an International Dark Sky Place whose night skies "provide important habitat for nocturnal wildlife." It is a reminder of how dark the land east of Naples still is.
FWC frames its Wildlife Lighting Certification Program around wildlife in general, but it points to the sea turtle guidelines for the criteria, and it marks the program closed. Its list of certified communities has two entries, neither in Collier or Lee. We do not call any of our work certified.
Beyond sea turtle protection, we found no county or city rule in Collier County, the City of Naples or unincorporated Lee County that regulates lighting for birds, bats or insects. What protects them on most Naples properties is the owner’s choice. For anything visible from the beach, see turtle-friendly coastal lighting.
Sources, read 2026-10-13: Sanibel Code ch. 126, art. XIV, div. 4; National Park Service, Big Cypress National Preserve; FWC, Wildlife Lighting; Xerces Society, Firefly-friendly lighting.
Who does the work
NightScapes Landscape Lighting has lit Naples properties since 1998 and lists responsible wildlife lighting practices among its commitments. Todd and Sherry own and run it, outdoor lighting is the only work it does, and its Google Business Profile shows 63 reviews at 5.0. A wildlife-friendly plan starts with which lights are needed.
We will say plainly what the sources say, including that decorative uplighting is the first thing they ask to reduce. Most owners do not want to give it up, and few need to: the answer is usually fewer uplights, lower levels, an earlier curfew and a seasonal schedule, so the property is lit when people are enjoying it and dark when they are not.
We work across Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva, through Lee and Collier counties. For color, see how color temperature is specified.
Ask about a wildlife-friendly plan
Questions we hear
Whether LEDs attract bugs, whether any light avoids it, whether FWC certification matters, whether green dock light draws fish, whether Florida has fireflies, how to make a yard better for them, and whether to turn lights off for migrating birds. Every fact in these answers is from a named source.
NightScapes Landscape Lighting Outdoor lighting only, Naples since 1998 Choose a question
Ask us about lighting and wildlife. Choose a question, or call and we will answer it on the phone.
Many insects are drawn to light, and research reviewed in 2018 found short, bluer wavelengths disproportionately attractive to many insects. Warmer LEDs draw fewer in some studies. But a 2024 review found color changes generally ineffective in practice. The bigger difference comes from fewer lights, lower, shielded and on a timer.
Not one that attracts none. Dim, low, shielded, warm light on a timer or motion sensor attracts far fewer, which is what the Xerces Society recommends for moths and other insects. Sanibel’s code even defines a yellow "bug" type bulb as one designed to reduce insect attraction. Less light, for fewer hours, is the most reliable answer.
FWC’s Wildlife Lighting Certification Program describes itself in terms of wildlife in general, but it points to the sea turtle lighting guidelines for its criteria, and FWC marks the program closed. So it is most relevant on the beach side of a property. We do not describe any of our work as certified.
Dock light makers say green carries furthest in canal water and draws bait; that explanation comes from sellers. One peer-reviewed study under a wharf did find artificial light changed fish feeding behavior. We found no agency guidance on dock lights and manatees. Underwater lighting is covered on its own page.
Yes. UF/IFAS Extension describes fireflies in Florida and notes that they avoid areas with a lot of artificial light, especially around dusk. A dark garden edge, low and shielded path lights and a curfew give them the best chance on a lit property.
Follow the Xerces order: remove purely decorative lights, especially tree and facade lights; keep the lights that stay low and shielded; turn off as many as you can, as early as you can. Darkness at dusk, when fireflies flash, matters most.
Audubon Florida asks people to turn out as many lights as possible during migration, and USFWS asks for upward spot and flood lights to be switched off then. Sources give different months, so we set a migration schedule with you rather than quote one window. A zone for the uplights makes it easy.
Free Consultations and Estimates
Tell us about the property: whether it is near water, the beach or a preserve, what is lit now, and which lights you would miss. We walk it with you and explain what fewer, lower and timed would look like.
Tell us about the property
