Mexico's magical firefly show

A long-exposure photograph of fireflies swarming inside Piedra Canteada, a tourist camp cooperative near the town of Nanacamipla, Tlaxcala state, Mexico.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)It doesn't last long, but the seasonal spectacle of thousands of fireflies frenetically glowing against the encroaching darkness will linger in one's mind long aft

Juan Guzman Guzman, 70, and a work crew drive to a site inside Piedra Canteada to clear brush and remove dead branches to prevent forest fires.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)Piedra Canteada is a rural camp cooperative, owned and run by 42 local families, in the Nanacamilpa village in Tlaxcala, the country's smallest state.Typically, co

Finished lumber is stacked near Piedra Canteada's sawmill.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)In 1990, the co-op attempted to create a more reliable revenue stream by charging campers to use parts of its sprawling 1,500 acres of land. And in the decades tha

A family plays on swings inside Piedra Canteada.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Signs inside Piedra Canteada list rules to help protect the firefly habitat and mating process.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)Today, Piedra Canteada's firefly business is booming. The co-op welcomes 50,000 tourists annually, with many visitors traveling from Mexico City for the weekend. I

Tourists set up camp inside the Santa Clara Firefly Sanctuary.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)The firefly business has been so successful for the Piedra Canteada co-op that it has been able to shift efforts away from deforestation to focus on tourism, repor

Tourists play while awaiting nightfall inside Piedra Canteada.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Fireflies glow in sync in the woods of Piedra Canteada.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)