Landscape Lighting Impact on Wildlife

Landscape lighting can warm a winter landscape, highlight the form and structure of trees and provide security to our homes. High levels of artificial light at night also impact the natural cycles of plants, animals and insects.

Research led by scientists at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles found the blue and white spectrums of LED lights were more disruptive to sensitive species than the yellow-greens and ambers.

Some of the bright blues and white mimic midday sun and are three to five times more disruptive than the greens, yellow and amber. This impacts a variety of processes including migration and pollination by night flying insects like moths.

Researches are encouraging policy makers, communities and businesses to select lights that balance the needs of people with the impact on wildlife.

A bit more information: This research resulted in a database of several dozen artificial lights and their impact on wildlife. For more details on this topic visit the USC website.