Cicada Mania

Note: the archive of our 2004 comments for June 8th – July 17th, 2004 comments were missing from the site, so I’m adding them back in with this post. Old URLs were removed in some cases.

Cicada Watches Transit of Venus

Date: Thursday, Jun/17/2004
Whoa!
Talk about rare natural phenomena!
Check this out!

“The Year 2004 CE is the first since 797 CE that the two great periodical phenomena, a Brood X emergence and a transit of Venus, have occurred simultaneously.”
John DeMelas, Oak Ridge, TN

Preserving cicadas

Date: Thursday, Jun/17/2004
About 5 years ago, I found a dead yearly cicada. I put it in a tin with some shells. I show them every year to my science classes. I guess if they dry out they will survive. Did the same to the 17 year. Hopefully, I’ll have them until the next sighting.
Shirley Jeffords, Silver Spring, MD

Earler post

Date: Thursday, Jun/17/2004
Ignore my earlier question. I found the answer on the first of the listed Cicada Links. The white, chalky stuff is a fungal infection. First your ass turns all white, then it falls off. I hate it when that happens! Mac, Bethesda, MD 20817

They’rrre Gonnne!!!

Date: Thursday, Jun/17/2004
The cicadas are finally gone in Baltimore. Yes!!!! I can finally get on with my life, I have been afraid to get around on the bus. Life is back to normal. I will be old when they come back and won’t need to go outside. YES! Andrea, Baltimore, MD

Still nothing on Long Island

Date: Thursday, Jun/17/2004
All is still quiet on LI. I checked in with Connetqout State Park Preserve and there’s nothing doing there. This 3,500-acre preserve was a local hot spot for brood X in 1987 and remains mostly unchanged since then. Yet, the park staff has seen nothing. No holes, no skins, nothing! The same goes for the other towns or locales in which brood X was prevalent in ’87. Through a Florida-based website, I found some historical records for Brood X activity in New York since the mid-1800,s. There are many documented sightings in mid-June, late June and even early July. So, who knows? Would it be weirder for them to show up this late, or to not show up at all? It’s all very puzzling. If it is a bust, it will be very interesting to see what happens in 2008, when brood XIV is due to appear. Lenny, Sound Beach, NY (Suffolk County)

Weird white abdomens

Date: Thursday, Jun/17/2004
We’re about done with Brood X, but one question lingers. We spotted a very few cicadas with bright white abdomens, both corpses and flying around. My son took a dead one and attempted to dissect it; he discovered the white stuff was not a skin, but solid, and it scraped off like chalk. WTF? Mac, Bethesda MD 20817

None Here…

Date: Thursday, Jun/17/2004
I haven’t seen cicada one where I live. Luke, North Plainfield, NJ

NONE! ZIP! NADA ONE!

Date: Thursday, Jun/17/2004
I remember years ago seeing the shells Extoskelton on trees when i was young. All the BIG HYPE about the cicadas so far is just that HYPE! I heard a male the other day but, i have not seen ANY! My girlfriend drives thru A2 everyday and not a one on here jeep dead either! WHERE ARE THEY!!!!!!!!! michael cox, Adrian MI. lenawee co.

Gone but not forgotten!

Date: Wednesday, Jun/16/2004
All gone except the ‘cassini’s. Why do they live longer than the ‘decim? Strangely, though there was no hatching here in Oaks, I swear I keep hearing ONE cassini chirping in my tree….
I want to thank the people who have written lovely poetry, including “My Lady Cicada” and the “Cicada Psalm”. I’ve been happy to read in so many posts a respect and love for Nature and her creatures. Hopefully many people have learned thru this experience, that this planet doesn’t belong to us alone but to other life forms too. Even ones that we think are ‘icky’! On the other hand I’ve also heard of folks who torture or deliberately crush cicadas. I certainly hope this type of person is in the minority!!!!!…Anyway, I feel better knowing I don’t have to wait 17 years to hear the magic again…I hear that in 2008 there is going to be a Brood XIV emergence in Central PA where my folks live. Time to book a campsite… Laura, Oaks PA

Maryland Cicada Vacation

Date: Wednesday, Jun/16/2004
I was amazed by the cicadas in 1987 when I was 21 years old and lived in Baltimore County. When I realized they were back I could not miss it.

Last week my 5 year old son got on a plane and visited Maryland to see them. June 5th when we got there it was very rainy an we could not here any. It was very disappointing. But When Monday the 7th came they were out in full force, just how I remembered them.

My son, a bug nut, will not forget them. I hope we will be able to make the journey again from wherever we are in 17 more years.
Craig Schmieder, Dallas, Texas

Still Not Here………..

Date: Wednesday, Jun/16/2004
Still haven’t seen one in my travels around the city. I live right next to a large nature park with big trees. I’m surprised we have none here. HB, Ann Arbor MI

Thank God they’re gone!!!

Date: Wednesday, Jun/16/2004
I heard rumors that the cicadas were going to infest Delaware and at the time I didn’t even know what cicadas were or what they looked like because the last time they paid the region a visit, I was four. A few weeks ago I went down to Maryland for a weekend for two different graduation parties and it took me no time to find out what these things were and how much they disgusted me! Giant nicey-niceroaches with wings; what could be more repulsive?! And they were everywhere!! Just know what they looked like made that shrilling noise they make even more horrifying. Needless to say I was more than happy to get back up here where the cicadas never even made an appearance. The next time they come back, Maryland and Virginia will be completely off limits. Adrian Martin, Wilmington, DE

FRESH AIR, AT LAST!!

Date: Wednesday, Jun/16/2004
I went out to lunch for the first time since early May!! THE CICADA’S ARE GONE, YIPPY!! Marianne, Herndon, Virginia

Missing those fascinating creatures terribly

Date: Wednesday, Jun/16/2004
I am so sorry that I did not get a good recording of the cicadas a couple weeks ago–without any traffic or airplane or people noise. Now they are gone. They were wonderful! They drowned out the sound of the noisy Washington Beltway! On Sunday (June 13), I drove out to Sky Meadows park near Paris, Va. and heard a little of the UFO-like sound of the 17-year cicadas high in the trees. But as it got warmer, they were drowned out by the annual summer cicadas closer to the ground. Then I drove up Route 81 to Chambersburg and east to Gettysburg–no sound. Then north to Duncannon–no sound. Thank you to all you wrote about good locations to hear cicadas, but a couple days sure makes a big difference. After a warmer morning, Sunday afternoon and evening were cool and overcast. Sure do miss those fascinating creatures. Susan Dale, Annandale, Va.

Got Wings!!!

Date: Wednesday, Jun/16/2004
Joyce, thanks ever so much for sending me the wings…they are wonderful…much more delicate and pretty than I had remembered. Marie, thanks also for offering. Now I just need to figure out how I am going to preserve them….if anyone has any ideas, please let me know. Debbie, Seattle

Still here

Date: Wednesday, Jun/16/2004
I was really hoping they would be gone by now. The cool weather + rain seemed to keep them away for a few days but as soon as the sun came out today they were back. The ” drone” sci-fi noise has left but you can still hear them in the trees here…screeching away. Still lots of live ones albeit I haven’t had a problem driving into hundreds of them as I did a few weeks back. Sad to see them leaving, really. Barbara, Woodlawn Maryland

Freaking OUT!!!!!!!!

Date: Wednesday, Jun/16/2004
This just cannot get over for me fast enough! I moved to the city from the country and we did not have them in the country 17 yrs ago. I can’t take the dy-bombing, the horrible noisy, and ugliness! I don’t get why people are disappointed in them disappearing so soon! I can’t deal with them crawling all over the place and getting in my hair. Fairfield OH was hit horrible this time. We moved the weekend they were out in the millions. Cant wait for them to go away! Good riddance! Wanda, Cincinnati ,OH, Hamilton county

Where are they (in S.E. Mich.)?

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
Has anyone seen the 17 year cicadas in s.e. Michigan, other than in Ann Arbor? How about Monroe or Lenawee counties or even the Toledo area? Susan, Lenawee Co., MI

preserving cicadas

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
Is it possible to preserve cicadas for a couple of years? Jacob Barger, Harford County, MD, USA

Cicadas in New York

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
I am curious as to te whereabouts of our Brood X Cicadas in New York. Suposedly Ronkonkoma, East Setaucket and Bohemia were to be hard hit. I remember in 1987, there was a strong showing in Ronkonkoma. I am still one of the hopefulls. Please keep posting about the emergence (or lack there of) in NY – thanks!
Elias, Queens New York

Males mostly gone only a few females, but what about the eggs?

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
In the last couple of days, I have only seen females. Lots of flagging, but I want to see the full cycle. Has anyone seen the eggs that look like rice with leggs? My son is coming from Texas in about 2 weeks. I don’t think there will be any thing left except dead ones (like the ones in my classroom) and shells. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Shirley Jeffords Shirley Jeffords, Silver Spring, MD

miss them already

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
I miss the cicadas already – no longer do they cross sidewalks waiting to be picked up, perched upon my finger until they meet a tree and hesitatingly crawl away and up onto a branch – the browning limbs of tree tops big and small are the only reminder of these harmless and surprisingly friendly creatures – I’ve never met an insect that looks as menacing as the cicada with red eyes on a dark, bee-like body, but could sit on your arm and never pinch, sting or bite, but just sit there as if resting or happy to be there before the bug realizes that it still has work to do, say goodbye to the sunlight and continue the cycle for future generations to perch on friendly people and sing one last time. Grant, Washington, D.C.

Yaay they are almost gone!

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
I am so happy. They were gross, noisy and just an overall nusance. Next time they come out I will be 30-something. I will have my own car and my windows will be rolled up! Meagan, Baltimore, MD

Did we miss out?

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
My husband and I have been awaiting the cicadas, but we have none at all.

What is odd is that they were very plentiful last summer… we could always hear their “music” at night.

did they just not develop in our area at all, or could it still happen?

I would love to hear some info. 🙂 Rachel , Lancaster County, PA

They’re outta here!

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
Alas, sad to say that my neighborhood (North Highlands/Lyon Village) is now virtually cicada-free. However, I didn’t have to go far to see and hear them. Saturday, I drove up to an Orioles game in Baltimore, and the singing on the B-W Parkway is still pretty loud. One even got snagged on the hood ornament on my car! I even saw a few flying around Oriole Park. Also, during Reagan’s funeral procession on Wednesday a cicada landed on the cop standing guard on the curb in front of my section (between 9th and 10th and Constitution). That’s the last live one I’ve seen in DC. Phil Yabut, Arlington, VA, USA

Bye bye Cicadas

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
My cicada friends are down to about 10% of peak infestation here. I am missing them already. They were about two weeks later coming out on the west side of Patapsco State Park and are a little more plentiful there at this time. George, Elkridge, Md, USA

Cicada Status

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
I live a quarter mile south of the Mason Dixon Line. The cicadas seem to be in high gear here. Just 10 miles South they have declined dramatically and there is lots of tree flagging. Bart, MD Line, Maryland

They’re all over the place

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
Wow… I’ve read some of the messages and one by nearby Allentown, PA who said they did not have any. Well let me tell you we are overrun by them. Since we are in the suburbs it seems that they are more prevealent here. If you are located next to any tree lines, which we are, they are everywhere. You go out to cut the grass and they’re in your hair and on your clothes. They are extremely loud and my daughter, who is almost 2, will not go outside because of them. Our pool filters are crowded with them. Jill, Easton (Williams Twsp), PA

A new emergence area in 2021?

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
I drove to Ann Arbor and collected some to bring home. They are happily singing in my backyard trees. Jeannette, Sterling Heights, MI

All Is Quiet

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
It is amazing how quiet it is now around my house. Occasionally you can still hear some cassini rattling, but no more sci-fi noises anymore except for the lone “weee-ooohhh” I heard this morning. Driving around you still may “run” into a few. This past weekend I was in West Va. and they are still pretty active there. Friendly too, as 3 tried to land on me outside the high school in Hedgesville. Until next time:)!!
Grace, Abingdon, MD

Cicadas fading away…

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
Sad to say, it appears the cicadas are not going to be with us much longer; I haven’t seen a live one for 3 days, and even the carcasses on the ground seem to be getting fewer. Bye-bye cicadas, hope to see your young ‘uns in another 17 years! Sue, Riverdale, MD

Last Call at the Cicada Singles’ Bar

Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
The party is almost over. There is still a lot of noise, but not as many flying around or flopping around on the sidewalk.
Some trees have a lot of damage. Others (same 1/4 acre, same type of tree) don’t appear to have been hit as hard.)
In the fall, we’ll still be able to see the damaged leaves still clinging to the trees, after the healthy ones die and fall off.
In spite of the total grossness of the entire episode, I’d like to stick around for two more visits from the little things.
See you in 2021, I hope, then maybe in 2038! Iris, Baltimore, MD

Alas, they are mostly dead by now

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
Hi everybody, I’m sorry to say that those amazing and beautiful bugs who have so captivated me are mostly all dead by now (although at least they started their new brood by laying eggs & the nymphs will end up underground). I took a walk yesterday and only found one live one, I named her Shirley and carried her for a while, then set her on a plant. Also their loud roaring noise can no longer be heard around here. How I miss them! Susan Burkhalter, Bethesda, MD

Gone

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
I saw one living cicada this morning on the way to work. That’s it. Amazing. From swarms last week to one living bug. No more flying. We’ve had rain, so the bodies are mostly gone.

What a great thing to have witnessed, a vast and predictable orgy that became an overwheming leimotif. Any outdoor conversation would include at least one little eavesdropper who was completely detached from the conversation. If I had to anthropormorphize them, I’d have them say “I have no idea what you are, but I need to land on a vertical surface to mate. Please help me.”

Sad to see them go. I probably won’t see them again. Michael, Falls Church, VA

No Cicadas

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
No cicadas as of today. Nothing, zilch, zero. Just the usual late spring sounds: lawn mowers, power blowers, power vacuums and the deafening “music” from souped up cars with noisy exhausts. Claude, Western Suffolk, NY

CICADAS Lifespan

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
Help!I have these insects in my backyard they have been there since
Mid MAY and here it is Mid JUNE and
they are still out back making all this
noise! Will i have to put up with this
horrible noise all summer! Went will
it end??? DEE, BattleCreek Michigan

Any Cicadas in Havre de Grace MD?

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
Of course it is depressing to go hiking and hear almost nothing, and see a lot of wiped-out looking cicadas that fall out of trees and die in your hand. Even though we knew this would happen and it is all part of Nature’s Plan. I went to French Creek State Park and heard a lovely concert of ‘decim (my favorite kind) along the Lenapa Trail (white/red blazes). But it was a cloudy day and they seemed played out. (Some of them were even singing off-key!) Or maybe not?? maybe it was just the cold weather?? One can only hope. But my big question is…next weekend I’m going to a festival near Havre de Grace MD. Anyone know if the Brood has visited this area? I would so love an encore… Laura Woodswalker, Oaks PA

Fading Away

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
The large guys are gone from my home. The little Cassinis are still active, though, but they’re fading out too. The trees in this area are very heavily flagged. In nearby annadale there is still quite a bit of Cassini activity. I am assuming the Cassini emerge later than the Septendecim. The ‘UFO’ sound is gone from this area. TIme for a trip to Michigan! Fred Berry, Alexandria, VA.

Brood X is going strong here

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
For pictures see..

Mark Schoof, Ann Arbor, MI

Fading Away

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
The large guys are gone from my home. The little Cassinis are still active, though, but they’re fading out too. The trees in this area are very heavily flagged. In nearby annadale there is still quite a bit of Cassini activity. I am assuming the Cassini emerge later than the Septendecim. The ‘UFO’ sound is gone from this area. TIme for a trip to Michigan! Fred Berry, Alexandria, VA.

Fading Away

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
The large guys are gone from my home. The little Cassinis are still active, though, but they’re fading out too. The trees in this area are very heavily flagged. In nearby annadale there is still quite a bit of Cassini activity. I am assuming the Cassini emerge later than the Septendecim. The ‘UFO’ sound is gone from this area. TIme for a trip to Michigan! Fred Berry, Alexandria, VA.

Brood X is going strong here

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
For pictures see..

Mark Schoof, Ann Arbor, MI

Brood X Dying Off

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
Earlier news reports seemed to suggest that the cicadas would be around through June but I am beginning to doubt that this will be the case. They began to emerge in suburban Washington DC around May 10. Within about 10-12 days of this they were in full cry. You would see lots of them flying around and there was a steady loud unmistakable din that was particularly loud in the mornings. You did not have to look hard to see them mating, either. This period lasted for a little over two weeks but then they began dying off in significant numbers. Over the past week the din has all but disappeared even in the morning and there are dead cicada carcasses all over the place. Even so my memory trace from 17 years ago is that there were even more dead cicadas lying about, although that could possibly be a function of where I live, in McLean as opposed to Arlington just outside of Rosslyn 17 years ago. Still, I would not be surprised to hear that the emergence this time around was not as great as the last. At this rate I suspect almost all will be dead within the coming week. jmgradon, McLean, VA

Cicadas

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
I stepped out my back door at noon time today, and a cicada flew right up at me! I followed it and caught it on a stick. It seemed real mellow, almost like it was drugged. His eyes are really red, and cool looking! Suzanne Roeder, Upper Sandusky, OH

CIcadas still in full swing?

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
I want to come experience the madness, and was hoping someone could reassure me of a place in NJ or NY that is still hopping with Magicicadas. The last post was helpful; anyone else? Hopefully close to NYC, so I can drive out pretty easily. Thanks! Julia Mandell, Brooklyn, NY

Cicadas a-plenty here

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
The droning is unbelievable. My 5-year-old son likes to pick them up and toss them into the air, which he thinks helps them to fly away (it does seem to help some of them). We are in our third week of this, and each day a different section of the street seems to hum loudest. Tim, Kingwood Township, NJ

Cicada Free Weekend

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
I went on a trip to Englishtown, NJ & Jamaica Queens, NY over the weekend and was glad to be cicada free, not a one in either city. Back to Baltimore and here they are still in “sing.” Not much though, I think they’re dying off, plus we’ve had a lot cool weather and rain. I heard only 1 and a half weeks left. Good!!! Andrea, Baltimore

Any cicadas in Blacksburg, VA?

Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
I have a friend visiting from Blacksburg, Virginia, which is very mountainess and wooded and they have had *no* cicadas down there. Is anyone else from that area? I showed her pics from some of your web sites and thinks they’re beautiful. I would think they would be very plentiful down there.

Debbie, Seattle

they’re still around

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
Have done some traveling in the last month in VA and MD. Cicadas came out in full force in the Fairfax area 3rd week of May and are still being heard loudly in the afternoons as of 6/10 (seem to be active but quiet in the AM). Heard them all the way driving up Rte 28 past Dulles, west on 7, then up 15 until I got 2 miles past Point of Rocks, then nothing thru Frederick and Hagerstown (this was on 5/22). Next day I went to Balt and heard nothing til crossing into Balt Co, then they were everywhere on 695! Same for the return trip on 5/30. Cicadas have also been heard for a few weeks now along I-66 from the US 50 exit to 2 or 3 miles past US 29 in Centreville, where they fade out by the time I get to the Manassas/234 exit. Have also heard them in smaller numbers at Manassas Battlefield. The boundary seems to go from the southern edge of the Battlefield, where it meets Manassas City, southeast to Rte 28 1/2-way btwn Centreville and Manassas Park, then along Bull Run. Have not heard anything between Manassas and Woodbridge. Can’t figure why Hagerstown has been quiet but have heard of sightings in Myersville and Clear Spring. I’d say the overwhelming majority of the cicadas I’ve heard have been decula and cassini. Heard decim early on, but hardly any since then. Maybe the UFO sound is being drowned out by the rattlesnake sounds. Also seen lots of flagging now, esp in Oak trees. Kenny, Manassas, VA

Still Sleeping I guess

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
I’ve lived here for 30 years and they have come in varieing degrees through the year from 0 to ALOT. but so far this year as of 6/14/2004 it’s been a zero 0./but its been cooler than normal. John, Levittown, NY

cicadas still in Princeton

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
As of 6/12, there were still plenty of cicadas singing in Princeton. I did not see any new ones molting though, and a lot of the ones on the ground seemed to be on their way out. There were orioles, a titmouse with 3 hungry fledglings and robins eating. Today (6/13) was overcast and cool, so things seemed quiet.

How far would birds go to eat cicadas? Found lots of wings on a nature trail about 10 mi from Princeton… cw, Pennington NJ

Losing hope on Long Island

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
Still no Magicicada action on Long Island. Once again, I checked the area of East Setauket where there was a small emergence and there are no cicadas to be seen or heard. Lots of guilty looking grackles and starlings though. I guess they get picked off pretty quick when they emerge in small numbers. I wonder if that was the case for the other areas of LI where Brood X appeared last time around. Perhaps, small numbers did emerge and got picked off before anyone had a chance to notice them. At the very least, some skins and holes have been found in East Setauket, so we know they were there. They sure didn’t last too long though. I was hoping that this was just a small group making an early emergence and the real action would soon follow. But at this point, it’s not looking too good. Over the last week, it’s really started to warm up on the Island, so I guess if it was going to happen, it would have happened by now. The nights, however, have remained very cool. So, perhaps we are just a day or so away from the big emergence, or maybe it’s just wishful thinking! Lenny, Sound Beach, NY (Suffolk County)

Ivy League Cicadas

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
All over Princeton University Campus! Extremely loud in the wooded sections, but even flying into shops that inadvertently leave their doors open. Saw a few scare a few small shoppers out of a toy store!

Should be a lot of happy fat campus birds this summer…. Laurence Gould, Princeton, New Jersey

Could They Still Emerge?

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
I have been looking under every mature tree I come by around town, and always find countless chimney’s. I even dug up a chimney in my yard and found a brood X nymph. After it rains I notice mud activity around the tunnels too, but no cicada’s yet. They have already emerged in nearby towns, and I would love to find out if I can still expect them in Fairborne Ohio. I will be so sad if the amazing creatures avoid my area. Denise, Fairborne, OH

shadow42

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
I TRIED MANY TIMES TO GET TO YOUR SITE BUT I COULD NOT GET THROUGH,THANK YOU THOUGH FOR RESPONDING, AT LEAST I KNOW YOU GOT MY MESSAGE. EARTH MAGICK, IS MY LIFE….I ALREADY MISS THOSE CICADAS,BUT JUST THINK,JUST A FOOT BELOW THE GROUND THEY REMAIN ALIVE AND WELL. THANKS SHADOW FOR TAKING TIME TO RESPOND. CICADA X cicada x 2001, in

i have found only two empty shells in my yard

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
no infestation in my yard and yet outside of sharpsburg, maryland they are everywher in horsebend development. susan f cass, washington county maryland st james lappans road

Thriving in Nockamixon State Park

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
Hello Everyone,
The Cicadas are very much alive and well in the Nockamixon State Park in Quakertown PA on 6/12/04. Looking across a field the size of a baseball field there were maybe 50 to 80 flying through the air. On the park benches there were 3 to 7 live ones crawling around and quite a few dead ones on the ground. And they were LOUD. We finaly had to leave because my wife could not take them flying into her and hanging on. My daughters loved it though. Richard Foulkes, Quakertown, PA

wow

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
We didnt know what they were until we did some research. Its a very odd sound, but amazing! Josh Oliver, Clarkston, MI

Cicadas in Hoosier National Forest, Indiana

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
Went to Hoosier National Forest, IN June 11-12 to see/hear Brood X. On the way, first heard them from the highway about 40 miles east of the IL/IN border on I-64. Saddle Lake had low numbers but high diversity. Most calls were Cassini or distress, with a few Decim and what might be the little-known 3rd species. Also heard a few early Tibicen “annuals”, the same call I’ve heard at home (MO) starting June 7th. Heavy rain on the 12th. Pioneer Mothers’ Memorial Forest had enough Decim for the cool “Martian” effect, and seemed to have the other two species. Monsoon occurred at end of hike at Pioneer Forest, sending me home. Am done chasing broods in other areas; this is my third time as a storm magnet with low conentrations (IV in 1998, 13-year brood in 1992, and X this year).
Eric, Hoosier Nat’l Forest, IN

Starting to die off on the east coast

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
We just arrived home in Indianapolis from a driving trip to Washington DC. Last Sunday and Monday, we heard and saw (and hit with our car) many cicadas along I-70, especially in Ohio and W.Va/Va areas. But, while we were in DC, we saw no live cicadas. On our drive home yesterday, we saw maybe one or two, even in Ohio. We did see, however, a great deal of flagging. Sometimes we would drive by huge groves of trees and every second tree would be dripping with dead branches. Here in Indy, we still have a number of noisy and active cicadas in the areas of heavy infestation, but there are noticeably fewer flying around. Holly, Indianapolis, In

The cicadas are singing in Ann Arbor!

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
You don’t see them in the urban city, but just go to the forests on the outskirts of town (Marshall Park for example) and you can hear their chorus. Amazing! Neil, Ann Arbor, Michigan

No Brood X in Wash. State 🙁

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
Jeff, I hate to tell you but I seriously doubt that what you found was a 17-year cicada (Brood X)…they are only in the East Coast and alittle bit into the midwest (Michigan):( You probably found a distance cousin though 🙂 Unless one migrated out here somehow…hey all we need is two and we can get them started out here! I have a feeling the humidity back east is what makes them thrive though. Debbie, Seattle

Sightings Aplenty in Ann Arbor, Mich

Date: Sunday, Jun/13/2004
To rasmussen from Detroit. Almost sure that they will not arrive in the Detroit area. Your best bet will be to seek out the wonderful creatures in N.E. Ann Arbor (specifically at Domino Farms..towards M14..in the back woods or Matthaei Botanical Gardens, off of Gedes Rd. close by) Don’t miss this opportunity to know one of Creations most amazing insect. They are fun to watch…and Oh that Sound! Hurry before they fade away for another 17 years. Deborah, Westland, Wayne County, Mich

still waiting in detroit

Date: Saturday, Jun/12/2004
i’ve seen in recent days post about sightins in ann arbor mi., to my west.
looking at the Brood X map i see that i’m on the fring here living on the river 3 mile east of downtown. there is a historical district across the street with large yards and trees, this in giving me hope.

kevin kevin rasmussen, Detroit ,Mi,

hypocenter of activity

Date: Saturday, Jun/12/2004
We have hit a peak today in cicadas. My son and I stopped at a gas station and couldn’t hear each other talk, due to the earsplitting volume. The cicadas were swarming all over the nearby trees and crawling all over us. We collected some dead bodies to preserve and show the unbelievers. We watched spiders carry off the ones that were hitting the ground. If it hadn’t been loud enough to hurt our ears, we could have stayed there all day observing and catching/releasing the lovely creatures. I am glad I don’t live near that station, I would have to leave from the noise! Karen, Kingwood Twp. Hunterdon Cty,NJ

Cicadas in New York

Date: Saturday, Jun/12/2004
Mindy – no longer need to be scared until the annuals come out. I am personally fascinated with them as they are living proof of the work of God. Imagine 17 years underground – all to comeup together!!
Where are the reports from Long Island -are the cicadas here yet or no??? Awaiting their arrival anxiously….. Elias, Queens County, New York

Not Dead Yet!

Date: Saturday, Jun/12/2004
After the cold weather this week and the doleful messages, I figured Brood X was finished… I was very happy to be proved wrong today at Green Lane! There were still lots singing and flying around and perched high up in the treetops, which my friend & I could observe thru her binocs. Interestingly the Cassini were way livelier and more prevalent than the ‘decim. I wonder why… maybe the ‘decim are clumsier because of their size, and die sooner? My friend got a great introduction to the cute little critters–glad we were able to have this experience before they are gone. I took some of them home, and they are still climbing around in my homemade bug-keeper. Laura , Oaks

Found One

Date: Saturday, Jun/12/2004
After hearing of all of the cicada on the east coast for the past month, I didn’t think we had them out here. I was suprised to find one in my driveway this morning (6/12) and captured it my kids insect kit. I wasn’t sure what it was, until I came to this site just now.

Jeff Berg, Vancouver, Washington

Answer to “Where are they?” (Karyn, Hazlet, NJ)

Date: Saturday, Jun/12/2004
Probably they are not there because you live in a city. You can find millions in areas around edges of forests away from the city. Someone, Columbus, OH, USA

Cicada Countdown

Date: Saturday, Jun/12/2004
Although they have been gone from my neighborhood for the past several days, I am glad to report that Magicicada is alive and well in nearby Annandale. I have twice recently been able to turn back time and enjoy and record their mating calls and their distinctive aerial antics. For those in the area who want to experience Brood X one more time, I recommend the park area next to Annandale High School. Enjoy and remember! Stephen, Alexandria, VA

Will some males be alive on July 2?

Date: Saturday, Jun/12/2004
I was in DC on memorial day to enjoy the cicada “chorusing centers.” I will be back in the area (Northern Virginia) on July 4th weekend. I hope some will still be around, but with a six week cycle, I doubt it. Are there “late” molters that may stll be around? In May they were particulary loud and melodious in Vienna, Virginia. If not in the DC area, did they emerge in late May anywhere else–and hence still be around in the first week of July?
Cordially,
David
Miami, Fl. David, Miami,FL

Finally found some….

Date: Saturday, Jun/12/2004
I’m putting together a short doucmentary on the Periodic cicadas for a summer film class at my university. Unfortuneatly I was not having any luck finding any cicadas in my area. I had almost given up hope, and planned to turn my documentary short into a piece about the lack of Cicadas in the area. As I informed a friend of my troubles with them, he informed me that the bed and breakfast that he works at in central bucks county was teaming with them. I took a trip up to the place he works yesterday, located just outside New Hope. I lucked out, as the area was teaming with them. Not only were there an abundance, but most were drying off from the morning raistorm, and so were very docile, and easy to capture on film. Michael, Bucks County, Pa.

To Marie about the Cicada wings

Date: Saturday, Jun/12/2004
Marie, how thoughtful…Joyce from Columbia is sending me some but if for some reason they don’t arrive okay, I’ll let you know. What did you use to mount them to the cards? They are so fragile and I don’t want to tear them. That triple-winged one sounds neat! We are now watching coverage of today’s funeral at National Cathedral for Ronald Reagan and still no cicadas as the guests are arriving….either they got sprayed down, died off, or just sense somehow this is not the time to sing…..kind of interesting. Debbie, Seattle

They are Gone! (I hope!)

Date: Saturday, Jun/12/2004
To those of you in NJ going to Baltimore – my husband and I went to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore about 2 weeks ago when the cicadas were in full swing in Bethesda, MD and I was thrilled to be able to eat outside in the Inner Harbor without seeing one of them! I’m not sure about Fells Point, but since there are not a lot of trees in either area, I bet it will make for a cicada-fee vacation for you.

I spent several nights watching these creatures from my front window crawl up and hatch out of their shells onto my rhododendron, and I was both freaked out and facinated by them. Mostly freaked out by the fact that there were about a million of them in my front yard! The stench of the dead ones has been dreadful, but over the past couple of days it seems the birds and squirrels have taken care of them.

Although I know they are harmless, I am truly glad to see that they are perhaps gone – mostly because I haven’t been outside in about a month! It’s hard to tell here if they really are gone since the weather has been cool and rainy and they tend to not be out and about in this kind of weather. But I will be glad to enjoy spring outside without them again. We’ll see what happens this weekend….

Lori, Bethesda, MD

To “CicadaX2001”

Date: Friday, Jun/11/2004
You were trying to reach me about cicada recordings: Anyone can email me or visit my site at … , where I wrote a little Brood X story. Right now I am trying to deal with my grief that Brood X will soon be gone. Note to Self: next time, don’t have insects for pets, they just don’t live very long!!!! However, for those into Earth Religion, the Magic Cicada makes a great Totem. It symbolizes patience, perseverance, and courage in pursuit of one’s goal: the goal of creating magic & beauty in the world. (yes, since they didn’t hatch in my backyard, I didn’t get any backyard concerts, but I also didn’t have to get the bad parts, like the decaying corpse thing.) Laura, Oaks

Scared to Death

Date: Friday, Jun/11/2004
Once again, thank you Elias for putting my fears to rest. I can answer
your question as to why I hate them so in two words… GROSSED OUT!!! They fly into my hair, land on my back and clothes, bang into my windows all day and night long. Also, to tell you the truth, I don’t even like flies. Insects and me don’t mix. And giant insects and me truly don’t cohabitate well together. I am an animal lover, however, so please don’t think I hate all of G-d’s creatures. I asked my friend if the ones he dug up last month had red eyes and he thinks not, so I guess those are our usual annuals on their way to making my life a miserable hell this summer. But like I said, thank goodness it is not the swarming brood X’ers. Mindy, Queens

cicada sighting

Date: Friday, Jun/11/2004
Found (1) Cicada in East Hanover, NJ. My daughter named him Sam-e, Sam-e the Cicada. Makes lots of sounds!!!! Wow they are ugly. Bill, EH NJ

1987 Film Fest in honor of Brood X

Date: Friday, Jun/11/2004
From a dude named Josh Ford: Break out your lawn chairs and get those tiki torches ready. Summer is
here! And in honor of the departure of the cicadas, The Screening
Roomís Urban Drive-In is featuring films from 1987 ñ the last time Brood X
walked among us. Weíre also joining forces with the annual parking lot
book sale for three unforgettable evenings of books, music, barbeque,
and cicada-free movies under the stars. Grab a bite, catch some tunes,
browse some incredible book bargains, and catch a summer flick ñ all in
the Washington DCJCCís parking lot on 16th & Q. Dan, Cicada Mania Headquarters

Cicada wings

Date: Friday, Jun/11/2004
to Debbie in Seattle, wondering if you have received the wings of cicada’s which you requested. I have some mounted on 3X5 cards here. Would like to send them to you if possible. Incidently, we have observed dozens of cicada’s and have found only 1 with triple wings. I agree, they are quite beautiful. Also thanks for the nice comment regarding the “Lady Cicada” poem we submitted. How can we get in touch ? Marie Chibirka, Dalton, PA

Cicadas in Baltimore

Date: Friday, Jun/11/2004
To Jennifer from Princeton: I work a little north of where you will be, but still in Baltimore City. You can hear a few in the parks and open spaces when it’s sunny, but for the most part, they are finished. There are a few dead ones on the ground.
I’m sorry to see them go, they have been a great experience. I live south of Baltimore and they have been an overwhelming presence there, but they are waning there also. Joyce, Baltimore

Mostly females remaining here…

Date: Friday, Jun/11/2004
Well, I guess they are finally dying off, I am sad to say. Out of the 10 cicadas I caught in the last 2 days, 9 were female, one was a male with that bacterial infection.We had a week of chilly rainy weather & I think that affected them, when it finally cleared up for 2 days, there were very few to be seen or heard, now today it is in the 70’s & cloudy and will be that way for a few days, so I guess it’s farewell to the cicadas who I grew fond of. I will watch the trees where the females layed their eggs & see if I see the eggs hatching. I guess the weather cut their already short stay with us even shorter. I hope I’m here in 2021 when they return (I’ll be 51….)I wonder if all of this dampness has also caused a more than usual occurence of that bacterial infection they get?? Staci, Beltsville, MD

To Lisa about Kings Dominion

Date: Friday, Jun/11/2004
There are no cicadas that far south. You will be safe. My sister lives in Fredericksburg, VA which is about 45 miles north of Doswell and she doesn’t have any either. I think once you are south of Prince William County you are safe. Robert, Fairfax, VA

LOCATION OF CICADA

Date: Friday, Jun/11/2004
I WANT TO GO CAMPING DOWN AT OHIO PYLE WHICH IS IN FARMINGTON,PA & WANT TO MAKE SURE THE CICADAS ARE NOT THERE.
IF THEY ARE THERE, I WILL GO CAMPING CLOSE TO HOME. LINDA, PA

Puzzel of the Chinese Cicadas

Date: Friday, Jun/11/2004
I was born in Northern China, and I fondly remember playing with cicadas and cicada shells as a child. However, there is something quite puzzling about the cicadas in my hometown. Rather than invading my hometown every 17 years, they come every single summer. For an entire summer, they would cling to trees, sing (or make loud noises, depending on your perspective).

No, those Chinese cicadas are not of a different species; from what I have learned, they are of the same species as their American counterpart — since the cicadas were such an omnipresence, we devoted considerable time studying them at local schools, and I remember distinctively what I was taught: that cicadas only emerge after 17 years deep down the earth.

The only reason I can think of is may be at the beginning there were simply was too many cicadas in my hometown area, and they had to lay their eggs at different intervals, and the result is that although their larvae still had to stay underground for 17 years, they emerge out of the ground at different intervals (every summer in this case) rather than all at once. I think it would be really interesting if some biologists can look into this issue. Does anybody have another explanation for this?

Another thing about cicadas is that their shells are considered to be of excellent medicinal value according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, for its anti-inflammatory and other magical properties. I remember that my mother lost her voice after a failed surgery (she was a singer), and she went to see some Chinese herbalists, and brought back a bag full of Chinese herbal medicine to boil, and one of the ingredients was cicada shell. My mother did regain her voice eventually, so I think the cicada shell soup really worked. As a child, I used to go out with my siblings collecting cicada shells and then sell or give them to the herbal medicine people.

Any way, great website. I am really glad I found this site. Shelby, San Francisco, CA

Mindy’s Prayers and LI Cicadas

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
Hello from New York!

Mindy, I am glad I can allay your fears. Every year as you know – we do have pretty strong emergences of annual cicadas. They are Tibicen species. In my neighborhood, I know they are Tibicen Chloromera ìThe Dog Day Cicadaî and Tibicen Linnei ìThe Harvest Flyî. Their songs sound like variants of a circular saw cutting wood. I have on occasion dug a few nymphs up as well which should be getting ready for their emergence in late June and July. The Periodicals (Magicicada spp.) unfortunately do not come out here and I have never seen or heard a living specimen in Queens (except the ones I bring home from other emergences ñ ha ha!) Trust me ñ I searched the land looking of them when I was younger. Usually traveled out to Suffolk to find them however so you are safe in Brooklyn and Nassau too. One question to ask your friends ñ what was the eye color? Magicicada nymphs have red eyes like the adults before they molt. Tibicen nymphs are stockier and have greenish/brown eyes.
I hope the above was the answer to your prayers! Why do you dislike them so much Mindy? I am curious.

Lenny in Suffolk ñ please keep posting. I am awaiting the emergence too. I traveled to Ronkokoma in mid-July and missed the emergence in 1987. I did catch Brood XIV in Mid June 1991. I called the park in Ronkonkoma yesterday and they reported nothing. They will come. Please keep posting ñ I am sure I and a lot of Long Islanders are waiting anxiously for their arrival! Itís strange Michigan is getting them before us!! Ajay what happening by you??
Elias, Queens County, NY

it’s been weeks of cicada events

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
we noticed the holes everywhere around our house – -then we watched as everything, every tree around us became covered with their first brown suits – even witnessed various ciciada emerging from the shell – -dripping, white with shriveled wings – and then the singing began – -flipped on one morning at about 8am and waxed and waned for weeks during any sunny day. They are fading away now – -my second cicada event in Princeton Eileen, Princeton, NJ

Dying Out in DC

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
To Debbie from Seattle–you are very perceptive. The cicadas are dying out here. I work in DC and went to Reagan’s procession, and while ten days ago you couldn’t stand on Constitution Ave. without being hit by 4-6 cicadas, now there are none in the city. Honestly, the silence is rather disconcerting. But at my home in Falls Church, I can still see a few slowly crawling in the streets and I can still hear some tired humming…I’ll miss them! Rachel, Falls Church, VA

So far, so good!

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
Nothing seen here in the greater NE part of the city (Philadelphia). Sort of worried about hearing about them in the general vicinity. Was told to ask around and see if any longtime natives remember them. So far, the few people that I have been able to talk to say they don’t recall anything like a cicada invasion…EVER. (one person said that they certainly would remember something like that, and I told him, “Yes, you would, because *I* remember the last time when I lived in Baltimore”.)

I’ll still keep my “holding” pattern until July, and see what happens.

PS-thanks to the person who wrote the word entomophobe in their posts…I can finally put a name to my fear! :p LadySycamore, Philadelphia, PA (Far NE part of the city, near Bucks Co.)

They are here!

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
After weeks of hoping to avoid these flying, noisy things (that I thought my husband actually was joking about)I found one in my pool today…. kate , flemington, NJ

I Hope it is True

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
Elias, thank you so much for responding to my question as to whether or not these creatures will be coming to Queens. You told me no. What is confusing me is that a month or so ago, a friend of mine was doing some planting and he saw them about 10″ down in the soil (in the nymph stage, of course). Could these have been the annual brood that we get every August working it’s way up already? All maps show that New York is a brood X territory. Still praying you are right. Mindy, Queens, NY

No cicadas during Reagan’s procession

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
Thanks Joyce!! I’ll be writing you!
CW Boyce…thanks for the beautiful poem about My Lady Cicada…that was awesome!

I watched the entire procession for Ronald Reagan last night on CSPAN up to the Capitol, where there are a lot of trees, but heard not a single cicada 🙁 Are they waning in DC now or are they just being silently respectful of the somber nature of this event? I was sure I’d hear them whirring in the background, esp. since it was hot, muggy day. Debbie, Seattle

THEY ARE DYING OFF

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
Driving home from work yesterday evening, I noticed the “UFO” sound not as long as weeks prior. When I got home I noticed a lot more dead cicadas in my yard. Is this the end?? I thought this nightmare would never end.

It is already stinky in most parts of Cincinnati and with me being 10 weeks pregnant with a heightened sensitivity to fragrances….you can only imagine how I am feeling.

ANGIE, CINCINNATI, OHIO

Waiting for Magicicada on Long Island

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
Still searching for confirmed emergences on Long Island. I made a second trip to the area of East Setauket mentioned in the Newsday article from May 27. I have found a few holes along some property edges and have even found one skin, but I have not heard or seen any active Magicicada. I’m still hopeful that the action just hasn’t started here yet. Two archived articles from Long Island Newsday in 1987 plot the emergence as happening in mid-June. May 25, 1987 – Cicada’s in 17-yr cycle to emerge by the millions next month, and June 16, 1987 -Cicadas make a quiet entrance. Although the 1987 emergence was not Island-wide, several towns experienced some heavy cicada activity. It just seems weird that they wouldn’t appear at all this time around. It’s true that development and pesticide use has increased on Long Island since 1987, but many areas that experienced fairly large emergences back then are still in their natural state. One such area is the 3,500-acre Connetquot River State Park Preserve. This was a cicada hot spot in 1987. I have talked to people who work in the park, and they have yet to hear or see any cicadas this year. It would seem very strange that the small scale emergence in East Setauket would be the only appearance of Brood X on Long Island. Could this still just be the calm before the storm? Lenny, Sound Beach, NY (Suffolk County)

Baltimore again …

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
Thanks to Andrea and Lisa for the info – to clarify, I will be staying by the Inner Harbor and spending most of my time there and in Fell’s Point – would you say these areas are relatively “cicada-free”? (It’s bad enough that I am dealing with them every day here – sprinting back and forth between my car and the building I work in! – but am hoping they are not going to ruin our vacation too …)

Thanks in advance for any additional info! Jennifer, Princeton, NJ

They have arrived in South Brunswick

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
Although they have been on a rampage in neighboring Princeton for almost a month, I haven’t seen a one in my town–Till yesterday. While cleaning the pool skimmer I found one. Several minutes later I see one flying from my backyard oak. This morning while walking out the door I see one fly from our shrubs. Then I listened…the “UFO” is in the tall wooded section across the street. Our development was built after their last emergence…so, they are not underfoot, but close. Finally! And I thought they would miss us… Tom, Kendall Park, NJ

Going away anytime soon

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
Hello Jennifer (Princeton, NJ)…I hope you enjoy your stay here in Baltimore….it really depends on where you go…if you stay in Towson, Owings Mills, Reisterstown, or West Baltimore, in general, you are in cicada land….if you stay in East Baltimore you are ok because they are subsiding…I hope this will help you… Lisa, Baltimore, Maryland

HELP

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
I am going to Kings Dominion this weekend and I have a terrible fear of cicada…can someone please let me know if there are any cicadas in Doswell Virginia. Lisa, Baltimore, Maryland

Seventeen years? Or Sixteen?

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
We have cicadas in our yard every year. Neighbors leave our patio late in the afternoon, early evening because the sound is too loud for comfortable conversation. Last year, 2003, was a huge year. There was a lot! The girls found them in each stage and lined them up for a photo. Every tree trunk and branch was lined with shells. We were both dreading and anticipating the number that would come this 17th year. We have none. Zero. Perhaps we had the scout group last year. Oh well.
Naughtons, Greenwood, Indiana

Cicadas in Baltimore

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
This is to Jennifer, Princeton, NJ – We still have cicadas in Baltimore, in full “sing”. I will be glad when they leave, die or whatever they do. Just GO!! GO!! GO!! Andrea, Baltimore, MD

Waiting and Hoping (still)

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
All remains quiet here in Allentown, PA. I thought the recent hot weather would help (90-plus degrees yesterday), but so far it hasn’t.

I have found about a dozen or so open holes in the ground under a tree. However, I’m rather stumped about this since up until 14 or 15 years ago, this area was covered in brick. There would have to be a previous generation under a tree to allow this emergence this year, correct? With no tree back then, plus a ground cover of bricks, I’m not sure what these holes are now. They appeared last weekend.

My daughter was stuck in traffic on the NE Extension of the PA Turnpike south of Quakertown. She said they were extremely loud and were flying into her car. This area was very loud when she and I traveled down to a Phillies game a few weeks ago.

At the time, I was hoping that the northern fringe would continue to move northward — but it appears to be stationary.

Still have fingers crossed. Frank DeFreitas, Allentown, PA (Center City)

Magicada Cassini confirmed///

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
kind of bummed out here today given the overcast gloomy conditions i barely here any , yesterday with the nasty heat i just started to hear them and only grew in numbers as the day progressed.. my backyard has countless mud chimneys around the trees.. think i few renegade ones came out over past 48hrs..
leaving overseas next Monday! hoping for one good hot sunny day to get these suckers to swarm out in full bloom.

dan , ur from iselin area? seen / heard anything yet?

just cheacked the species calls and confirm as the Cassini strain ..

call consists of a few quick clicks followed by a very shrill whine..

excited but maybe the weather will hold it back.. maybe later this afternoon they come in force.. John, Colonia, union county NJ

Cicadas in show business

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
We are producing a production of Much Ado About Nothing at an outdoor venue. Although the cicadas have been decreasing in numbers the last several days, we had an invasion last night. It was a very hot night and we used stage lights for the first time in rehearsal. The combination of hot weather, hot lights, and hot actors made them “attack” the stage. They left us alone until the stage was filled with overheated actors. Then, they came like moths to a flame. As soon as the actors left the stage, they stopped.

Cicadas are fans of the theater- I guess. Ian, Ellicott City, MD

they are coming

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
just over the past couple days i’m starting to hear them , especially later in the day yesterday.Only handfull so far but looking forward to all out swarm.
it was only a few years ago we were pounded by the 13yr cicada.
John B, colonia NJ

Hey PENNSYLVANIA: Look Here

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
Look at a map. Find PA Turnpike. You can see them in the forested hills to the NORTH, from Morgantown in the east (less common further east) the whole way out to Somerset (heavy populations there). Still plenty in Lancaster, Lebanon, and Berks Counties. The “cicada line” is only about 5-10 miles wide in most areas. Mike, Lititz PA

gone to soon

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
IT WAS WAY TOO SOON FOR THEM TO GO.SOME PEOPLE THINK IM A GEEK BECAUSE I LOVE THOSE CICADAS, BUT OH WELL, I GUESS IM A GEEK. I ONLY HAD THEM AT MY PLACE FOR A WEEK AND THEN IT GOT COLD, THEY NEVER CAME BACK WHEN IT FINALLY WARMED UP AGAIN. I REALLY MISS THEM BUT I DO KNOW ILL BE SEEING MY USUAL CICADAS I GET EVERY SUMMER AND I CANT WAIT. BUT THE BROOD X CICADAS ARE MY FAVES OF THEM ALL. THEY SHOULD BE THE ONES THAT COME ATLEAST EVERY 2 OR SO YEARS.
I MUST TELL YOU OF ONE FEMALE. SHE WAS THE FIRST ONE I SAW FULLY MATURE,I EVEN WAITED FOR HER TO COME FROM HER SHELL AND DRY. SHE THEN FLEW TO A CLEARING IN MY YARD WHEN MORNING CAME. I JUST HAD TO GO SEE HER, SHE TOUCHED MY NOSE FIVE TIMES AND THAT MADE ME HAPPY. FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS, SHE HUNG OUT AT THE SAME TREE AND WHEN SHE SAW ME ,SHE WOULD LAND ON A LEAF NEAR ME,TOUCH MY NOSE AND ALLOW ME TO HOLD HER, AND WHEN I WENT TO PLACE HER BACK ON THE LEAF, SHE DIDNT WANT TO GO, BUT I KNEW SHE HAD TO DO HER THING. THE THIRD DAY SHE WAS THERE,SHE TOUCHED MY NOSE FIVE TIMES AGAIN, THEN FLEW AWAY. THE EVENING BEFORE IT GOT COLD, I SAW HER AGAIN,SHE WAS WOBBLY,SHE HAD LAID HER EGGS,BUT CAME BACK TO SEE ME,TOUCH MY NOSE AND I LET HER CRAWL ONTO MY HAND, I HELD HER FOR TWO HOURS TILL SHE DIED.
PHOEBIE, I CALLED HER, WILL BE MISSED,IM SO GLAD I HAVE A PICTURE OF HER. cicada x, indiana

on the wane

Date: Thursday, Jun/10/2004
They are definitely dying off in Towson, Md. Their legacy is the millions of dying leaves in the trees where the eggs have been laid, and the billions of cicadas that will emerge in 2021. It was a fascinating experience here, and definitely lived up to the media hype (for once).

Having said that, I’m glad they don’t last longer. One month every seventeen years is just about enough for me. The incessant noise, the white gloop on the windshield (and don’t even think that wipers/fluid will do anything but smear it), sweeping the porch every evening, it gets old fast.

And with that, I bid the cicadas, and everyone here, a fond farewell. Seeya in 17 years. greg, towson

Cicada Psalm

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
Cicada Psalm
By Gila RuskinO Cicada
Your passionate love song serenading
Its decibel defying waves pulsating
Golden orange wings and green iridescence
Mating hues of your adolescence
“God blessed them and said be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth…”*

O Cicada
In my yard your tunnel of soil aerates
On my hedge your carapace decorates
Each seventeen years, the Creator rejoices
With the harmonizing hum of all your voices
“Let all that has breath praise God, Halleluyah”**

O Cicada
Your crimson eyes shine as you seek romance
You choose a maple limb for your mating dance
You sacrifice your life for the next generation
And you renew my faith in ongoing Creation
“How great are Your works, God, in wisdom have you made them all” *** *Genesis 1
**Psalms 150
***Psalms 104

Gila, Baltimore. Maryland

unpredictable

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
There are no cicadas in Somerset but boy are there cicadas in Gettysburg! My class took a trip out there today. They were noisy all day and they were flying everywhere. We went up to little round top in the park and i was climbing on a semi-dangerous group of boulders with my friend. I knew as long as i was careful I’d be fine. This was already dangerous enough when all of the sudden a cicada runs right into me from my left. I flipped out and almost lost my balance and would have dropped 15 ft. to the boulders below. Hopefully they don’t come to Somerset! Chelsey, Gettysburg, PA

On the Wane

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
They are fewer, to be sure. The remaining individuals are acting like it’s last call at a singles’ bar. I can’t help but admire them. Imagine living for 17 years underground, going through a metamorphasis, and suddenly being able to fly in a completely unfamiliar environment.

A friend of mine told me a joke today:

“What did one cicada say to the other?”

“Sorry for bumping into you.”

These little things bump into any smooth surface they try to land on, and end up landing with a thud on the pavement, where they sit as is if stunned, their wings tucked back, until they receive a signal to fly again.

I’ve seen scores of them on outdoor Metro platforms doing a strange dance that seems to involve the grouting between the tiles. The trains come along and the cicadas get knocked over by the wake. I try to set them back upright. What else can you do for a creature who is simply trying to have sex after 17 years of celibacy?

They unnerve me, because I don’t like having insects attach themselves to me. But many times now I’ve discovered one hitching a ride on my shoulder, quite content to sit quietly and await its destination. It’s a very cute and peaceful experience, after all. Michael, Falls Church VA

To Jim @ West Chester/Pottstown

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
Hi! You may not have seen my earlier messages. If you ride a bike, you must know about the Perkiomen Trail which goes to Green Lane Park. Green Lane Park is Montgomery Cty’s Cicada Grove. Go north up Rt. 29 past Schwenksville and Rt. 73, and turn left at Deep Creek Rd. Park in the L side parking lot. (Brood X doesn’t like the R. side of the park, only the left.) I don’t know how they’ll be this week; last weekend was cold & rainy & they were lookin pretty bedraggled. I sure hope they can get their steam back up for another weekend of song before their curtain closes. Also, it is a nice quiet state park & you can park your car & just hang out. That is nice because the last place I went to hear Brood X was in a wealthy wooded neighborhood (Valley Forge Mtn) with Security Watch. I was afraid the residents were going to call the cops about this strange woman who was wandering around enraptured, staring at the trees…Also, I did call French Creek State Pk. & the ranger said they DID have cicadas, but I never got a chance to go visit. (I have this thing called a job…) On another subject, does anyone know about resin casting? When Brood X is gone, I’m going to try & forget my sorrow by making castings of a few specimens which I tried to “freeze-dry”. Laura, Oaks PA

sightings along rt. 519, NJ

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
Took a long trip down to Princeton to see and hear the phenomenon. The noise on the campus was great, but didn’t see many flying around or dead ones either. A groundsman told us that he had cleaned them all up from under the trees for graduation ceremonies since some people find the sight and smell offensive. Traveled to a park nearby off Lovers Lane and heard even more great sounds, but not many flying. They all seemed to be high in the trees, maybe because of the heat (90’s). Heard plenty along Rt. 519 in Kingwood Township on the way home. The epicenter seemed to be around the intersection of 651 and 519. Also plenty on Sanford Rd. off Rt. 519. Many more flying around there, but not the swarms that I expected.
Susan Susan, Sussex County New Jersey

What’s going on in Baltimore?

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
I am heading to Baltimore on June 22 and would love to know if they are dying down at all down there. I have been reading this website everyday since the emergence first started because I’m afraid of bugs and thought that they were going to be around my house in Central, NJ. So far they aren’t in my area but I’m going on vacation to Baltimore and am totally paranoid that they are still going to be there 2 weeks from now. Can someone please let me know if the situation is getting any better. I would REALLY appreciate a response. Thanks and good luck to all of you who have them all over! Rachel, NJ

Cicada Wings for Debbie

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
I would like to respond to Debbie’s message asking for cicada wings. I will send you some. Try to send me a message at joyceyens at yahoo dot com. Joyce Duffy-Bilanow, Columbia, MD

There gone!!!!

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
There gone from here. We had a three day cold spell with rain and they never came back. The day before the cold, there were hundereds of them flying around and like clock work at 4am starting to hummmm, the first sunny day after those three days………… nothing. No noise, No flying, it was like they never exsisted. The only evidence they were here are empty shells and many many dead branches. I will actually miss the noise. I use to float in my pool and listen to them all day, now there is silence. I hope i’m around in 17yrs to see them again Lisa, Centreville, Va

We’ve had lots of them for 2 weeks strong

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
I’ve questioned friends east and south of me (Dauphin and Carlisle, Pa.) and they don’t have any cicadas yet. I’ve had them for 2 weeks now! They are flying all over, can’t put out laundry. (smile) They try to land on us as if we were trees. It is a wonderful site. I’ve taken pictures around my house: www.sitesbychris.com/cicadas/cicadas.htm. How loud on the decible scale do they get? We already are talking much louder than normal to hear each other over them. Chris, Duncannon

cicada microscope images

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
Hi!
Me and my dad took microscope pictures of a cicada, and I posted them on my web page. Visit www.drivingblind.org, click on microscope images, then click on insects. Also, please sign my guestbook and let me know what you thought of the pictures! Erin, Keyport, NJ

Going away anytime soon?

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
The cicadas definitely seem to be at full peak around Princeton – the activity level has been high for the past week to week-and-a-half but seems to grow daily in terms of the noise and the number flying around. (Unfortunately, for people with phobias like me, this makes for an extremely uncomfortable time!) Can anyone remember whether they suddenly seem to go quiet and fade away, or whether it is a long, drawn-out process?

Also, am heading to Baltimore this weekend for vacation – can anyone in Baltimore calm my fears by telling me they are subsiding there? (I’ve heard that they are but am not sure what to believe.) Thanks! Jennifer, Princeton, NJ

Saw only one today….

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
I live in Northeastern PA. One was in my neighbors yard on a canvas tent. I walked over slowly with my camera, but it flew away. All day I have been on the look out so I can get a shot of one. Michele, Pennsylvania

Cicadas in New York

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
Mindy
I have good news for you (bad news for some of us that actually like them!!). I have lived in Queens for 31 years and there has never been a Periodical Cicada emergence here. Brood IV and Brood X are the largest that involve NY. So you are 100% safe. I know this to be true because I looked everywhere for them in 1987 and did not hear a single sound in Queens.
Ajay – keep up he good work my friend. I look forward to your updates and will make the trip to Port Jefferson or Ronkonkoma when they finally come up. Interesting that the soil has remained cold out here. Keep the updates coming for cicadas on Long Island! Elias, Queens New York

Return to the ground

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
Hopefully they will be gone in two weeks!

It seems as though the cold and rain kept them at bay over last weekend which was great for a scaredy cat like me.

They are back with a vengeance this past couple of days…is it my heightened sense of paranoia or does it seem that their flying isn’t as clumsy as when they first emerged?? Maybe they know they don’t have much longer which is admirable, which for an entomophobe like myself, is hard to say.

I have seen the “flagging” on several trees in the area which is an interesting sight.

All in all the past four weeks have been hell for me but so far I am unscathed! Scaredy, Silver Spring, MD

WHEN WILL THEY BE GONE?

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
Dan from CicadaMania – Please tell me when they will be gone from Northern Virginia. My life is suffering. I have a huge phobia!! This website said 4 weeks, but it’s been 4 weeks and they are still here!! Please, Help!! Marianne, Herndon, Virginia

Im so scared

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
Please,

Tell me what these bugs are going to do. When they are coming and how long they will be here. And what is this I hear about them leaving shells? And how do they mate.
Scared in Detroit Cicada, Michigan

Not seen any

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
I have not seen any yet. I remember them from 34 years ago. Would prefer they don’t come out. cicada disliker, Lehighton, PA

Where they won’t be:

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
You won’t find them in New York City, or New York State with the exception of Long Island. You won’t find them in most of New Jersey with the exception of Princeton and random areas in Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, and Huntington counties. You also won’t find them in Philadelphia. If you do see a cicada in these areas it’s probably not a 17-year cicada. Dan, Cicada Mania Headquarters

Great Fishing!

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
Spotted several Cicada’s landing on the water while fishing in Pinchot State park in Lewisberry on Sunday June 6. Since I heard they were good to use for bait, my intention was to grab one off the water try my luck. The rumors I had been hearing were true as I could not get to them fast enough. The fish were getting to them before I could. Finally, I managed to get one and it did not last a minute on my hook untit a huge carp sucked it in. I held on for the ride and landed a 10 pound carp with the “bugger”. I’m sold! Rick, Harrisburg, PA

Poem: My Lady Cicada

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
Like a surprise, she came to me from nowhere, filling me with delight. Sitting on my knee, her radiant beauty glistening in the sunlight. A lady of distinction, lovely eyes, her legs so graceful, so unique. She sat for so long, motionless, her body quivering, so trim and sleek. Then suddenly she left as quickly as she came, with no goodbye. She knew her life was nearly over and was about to die. She left like a butterfly, quietly on a gentle breeze, floating away. I would never see her again, not to return another day. I will always remember how fortunate I was to have met her. To keep her in my thoughts, I will name her Antoinette. C W Boyce/Marie Antoinette Chibirka, Augusta, WV

cicada sighting

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
One cicada found on my pillow in morning June 8. I have not seen any others nor heard the noise. He was about 1 3/4″ long, had black bug eyes, a mottled grey-brown back and I went to put him in a cup and he appeared dead, his legs all curled up. I left him in the cup, no lid, during the day and when I came home he was gone. I looked for him but couldn’t find him. I thought the cicada’s this year had red eyes, so was surprised by the black eyes. Newsday had pictures of them so I know it was a cicada. Charla Bolton, halesite ( e/sHuntington Harbor) Suffolk County, NY

Traveling for Cicada’s

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
Hello all…

I have been bike riding this past week all over SE PA…up to Poconos, down to Wilmington, West to Lancaster, and back home to Pottstown…

318 miles in all…No Cicadas…none?
Quiet rodes, busy traffic, rural, urban?
Guess I just have to wait another 17 years..

Jim Jim, West Chester, PA

No Cicadas yet!

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
No sightings of them yet in Hershey, PA (Dauphin County). Any change they won’t be coming since we’re half way into June now?? kate, hershey, pa

None here yet

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
I have been reading up on these creatures for a long time now. I am so envious of all of you who do not fear them, for I am terrified to the point of phobic. But there is a rumor going around NYC that for some reason they should have but will not be emerging this time around. I pray for this to be true. I have already decided to stay in for the month or so that they would be in town. But if they don’t emerge my job, my social life and my mental well being can be saved. So I guess what I am asking all you kind and knowledgeable people out there is if you know that they are coming to the NYC area.- Mindy Mindy, Queens, New York

Cicada (Locust)

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
I just found a hatched cicada this morning in Mashpee Ma. (cape cod)…..
Only 1 so far – when are they supposed to reach that area? I thought it was 2008
Cris, Mashpee, MA

they are here :oO

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
found one this morning , brought it to work told everyone it was a flesh eating space bug Drew, Dallas, TX

Wings/Recording Cicadas

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
I’m still trying to get some wings…anyone game?
I recorded them 17 years ago near where I worked in Adelphi MD…don’t know if I still have the tape though… Debbie, Seattle

Long Island Update

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
This evening I went To Port Jefferson Station LI to check the Brood X situation. The security guard at the local high school told me that he had seen a couple of shed skins but that there had been a huge cicada eruption in 1991 which left all the small tree branches brown and drooping. That would have been brood IV. I brought a lab thermometer and measured soil temperatures between 61 and 62 F at a depth of about five inches. This strongly implies that any brood X cicadas are still awaiting warmer conditions. I doubt if we will see anything like Princeton but there is still hope for Brood X here. (I will be investigating New Jersey myself soon) With 90 degree weather on tap for tomorrow here, we may not have long to wait. AJay, Suffolk County LI

Cicada City

Date: Wednesday, Jun/9/2004
In Princeton, NJ off of Harrison St.there is a huge amount of Cicadas. My dentist office is located there. This appointment I decided to bring my camera to record the noise that they make, it is unreal. It is sci-fi like. The problem is that I am extremely fascinated but freaked out by them at the same time. Logically, I know they don’t bite or anything. I really wanted to take a close-up picture of at least one but I chickened out. Even when I stopped to get gas one almost flew in my car.

On the way to work, I stopped at the mall to get something to eat. I felt something tickling my arm and I lookover and there is a 3 inch long cicada crawling on my arm. I screamed and flung it off and it landed next to some kid in a carriage.

When I went into work I felt like I had them crawling all over me. It was a creepy feeling.

I live in Mercerville (near Trenton) and there are no Cicadas here. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Nicole, Mercer County, NJ

PA – where to see them

Date: Tuesday, Jun/8/2004
Northern Lancaster County – Rt 501 about 3 miles north of Rt 322. Have lunch at CJ’s Corral with the cicadas – they are numerous and louder than in more remote areas. Adds to the theory that auto traffic sounds cause the cicadas to get louder. Cassini can be heard in selected areas – one is Middle Creek, on the hiking trail west of the visitors center. Much louder than Decim found all over. 2004 emergence impressive, but not as large as 17 years ago in 1987. Mike, Lititz PA

Where are they?

Date: Tuesday, Jun/8/2004
I am a science teacher in Hazlet,NJ who has 2 classes of eager students waiting for cicadas! We have not found any! I am looking for any information about their emergence in Monmouth County. Karyn, Hazlet, NJ

To Gerry in North Mass.

Date: Tuesday, Jun/8/2004
Thanx for the tips. I am very familiar with the route you posted. I have actually stopped at that church to look around in the graveyard. It is the usual route I take when I go there. I LOVE that road. Will let you know how it was when I return. Grace, Abingdon,MD

Cicada songs

Date: Tuesday, Jun/8/2004
Hi All,

I’m writing on behalf of my husband Chris, who’s working out of town and away from a computer (and, sad to say, far from any cicada sightings). (I must confess that I’ve never heard or seen the cicadas in person, though have fallen in love with them through him!)

Chris is a huge cicada fan; he became infatuated with Brood X one night 17 years ago, when he heard them in a field outside Ann Arbor, Michigan. He wound up standing on top of his car, with a microphone in his hand, breathlessly recording the cries of one lone, desperate cicada. That cicada became the “star” of a song Chris later wrote, called “Cicada Baby” — a wonderful love ballad sung, naturally, from the point of view of a cicada looking for that one moment of happiness.

Just recently, Chris rerecorded his music bits and submitted the song to NPR’s “All Songs Considered” show — and the whole song will be available to hear as of tomorrow on www.npr.org. We’d love to share the song (which incorporates these nice cicada cries) with other people who love these insects too — so we hope you’ll check it out! Jackie, New York, NY

I’ll sure miss this Magicicadical craziness!

Date: Tuesday, Jun/8/2004
I’m hoping it’s just the cold weather that’s made them so quiet. It seems like they should have had another week or 2 before falling out of trees into oblivion. It all passed so soon!! Anyway…I had a strange experience. I picked up a cicada that looked like it was done for. It didn’t want to leave my hand, so I put it on the car floor & drove home. A soda bottle rolled onto it and it let out a SCREAM! I didn’t know insects could scream like that.
…it does make a person depressed thinking about how long 17 years is. What are all of us nuts going to do for magic & excitement now?… I write fantasy & SF, and I was inspired to write a little tale about Brood X. You can read it on my website at …. And if any of you have made mp3 recordings of the cicada songs, PLEASE get in touch with me; my email is on my website. I’d like to put together a nice CD to remember these magical times. Laura, Oaks

Visited Princeton as per Advice: Great!

Date: Tuesday, Jun/8/2004
Sunday (6/6): cool, rainy; cicadas sluggish; no singing. Second one we saw had classic fungal infection.
Great car show on the square – nice treat!Monday (6/7): 70’s, sunny; cicadas singing their little hearts (timbrals) out. See my few pictures at: http://ekcsk12.org/faculty/prader/ Paul Rader, Canton, NY

Found nymph in shallow soil

Date: Friday, Nov/26/2004
Earlier this month (November), while digging for worms in the backyard, found a large nymph (almost certainly a Tibicen) in the soil. He was shallow, within five inches of the surface.
Eric, Missouri

thanks Lindsay

Date: Monday, Nov/22/2004
Thanks for that address change Lindsay.
I can also say that the cicadas in New Zealand are starting to emerge.
I have 4 species for the season so far.
Kikihia subalpina, Rhodopsalta sp, Amphipsalta strepitans and Maoricicada hamiltoni.
Things here are a bit behind you Australians, give us 1-2 more months and we will be fully into our season. Kees, Dunedin, New Zealand

Australian cicada website moved

Date: Wednesday, Nov/10/2004
Hi all. The website “Cicadas of central eastern Australia” has moved to http://doolot.sols.uq.edu.au/ins-info/ Please update your bookmarks. Southern Hemisphere cicadas will soon be in full swing. Extensive rain across the east of Australia should bring the big ones out over the next few months. Lindsay, Australia

just sayin hey

Date: Wednesday, Nov/10/2004
Just stoppin in to say hey and howz it?
See ya later… Cicada x, In.

About the microhabitat selection of the emergence of cicadas

Date: Wednesday, Nov/3/2004
Most papers study in the adult cicadas,e.g.,sound. Is there any study focusing on the nymphs emergence to eclosion? Lin, Y. H. , Taiwan

Because they don’t

Date: Saturday, Oct/30/2004
Cicadas don’t emerge in 12, 14, or 16 year cycles because they don’t. Occasionsional cicadas will emerge a year late or early, howeever for the most part they emerge in intervals which happen to be prime numbers. Cicada Mania, Cicadatown

cicadas

Date: Tuesday, Oct/26/2004
Why are there no 12,14,or 16 years locusts? tb, sc

found cicada

Date: Sunday, Oct/17/2004
sighted a green and black cicada, we thought it was dead or almost dead so we brought it home it was warmed up and is now crawling ang flying around, were not sure to release it just yet because of bad weather. -anonamous, canada, hamilton, ontario

Want that sound

Date: Tuesday, Oct/5/2004
If you’ve ever seen any Anime cartoons, you will hear that distinctive intermitant sound in the back ground – kind of 5 or 6 electric sounds, short, then a long one. I believe this to be a type of Cicada, but can not find any info with that sound. Do any of you know what makes that sound? Trent Kuver, Federal Way WA

NH sighting

Date: Thursday, Sep/30/2004
I have NEVER ever seen a Cicada before. Sunday there was a HUGE bug on the deck of my home where it remained for an hour or so and walked around and apparently flew away at some point………Did this guy take a wrong turn and wind up in NH? KP, Tuftonboro, NH

Cicadas in Il

Date: Sunday, Sep/26/2004
I found a cicada in our yard about a week ago. I had never seen one and have just found out through this sight. It was on our tree trunk, seemingly drying out it’s wings, and it’s old body was not far. I was going to get it, but I think the neighbor’s dog got to it first. Jay, Vaugh

Howz it.

Date: Monday, Sep/20/2004
Dan, hows your cicadas doing, are they still singing or have they all gone…in my area, I havent heard any since the first week of aug. Cicada x, In.

Thanks

Date: Sunday, Sep/19/2004
Thanks Cicada X and Laura from the Yahoo! magicicada group. Dan, Cicada Mania

Shells

Date: Friday, Sep/17/2004
If you did not get enough 17 year cicada shells, look on the underside of leaves. Up to about 2 weeks ago, I still found them clinging to the leaves. I am trying to get as many as I can before the leaves fall. I have collected many to show in my science classes for the next 17 years. Shirley Jeffords, Silver Spring, MD

It was a GREAT cicada season!

Date: Thursday, Sep/16/2004
Well, I was sorry to see Brood X go, but then the Annuals started coming out (Tibicen Chloromera), and it was an awesome season for them… more than I have EVER heard in my life. So many of them it almost sounded like a periodical cicada brood, the sound kept flowing like ocean waves. That’s why I got a minidisc recorder and became a Nature recordist. The crickets and katydids were phenomenal too. It must have been because of the abundant rain, more eggs hatched than usual. Whatever the reason, it was an incredible summer! But now, regretfully, the cicadas are gone. Fall Happens! Laura Woodswalker, Oaks PA

They say there is a monster underneath the bed…

Date: Wednesday, Sep/15/2004
Oh my GAWD!!! I had a cicada underneath my bed and I almost fainted from fright. They are HUGE. I wouldn’t mind if they slept for another 17 years. Maria, Montreal, Canada

welcome back!

Date: Tuesday, Sep/14/2004
Welcome back Dan, hope ya had a great vacation! cicada x, In.

CICADA

Date: Tuesday, Sep/14/2004
I HAVENT SEEN ONE OF THESE IN A LONG TIME ,FOUND IT IN MY SWIMMING POOL
9-13-04 IN CT LESLIE TEDFORD, MOOSUP,CT USA

cicada season

Date: Tuesday, Sep/14/2004
I arrived in Bhutan in summer and suddenly only last week the cicada sound was there from morning till late at night. I am told they herald the start of autumn. Is this true? kleen, bhutan

found cicadas in yard

Date: Monday, Sep/13/2004
A fifth grade student found two cicadas in his backyard. Since I have never seen one, I looked it up on the internet. I didn’t think that they were around her and especially in Sept. Sharolyn, Minneapolis, MN USA

Cicadas are everywhere

Date: Sunday, Sep/12/2004
The cicadas are all over. My cats are constantly bringing them inside! (which is okay since I’m doing a bug project for school!) Sara, Olathe, KS United States

What’s that noise?

Date: Saturday, Sep/11/2004
I just moved here from Southern California about two weeks ago (don’t ask why) and I don’t think I’ve ever heard or seen a cicada before. Is that what I’m hearing? At first I thought I was hearing a power tool or weed whacker from a distance but was told it was an insect and the person didn’t know what type. I also heard that from a Jamaican woman the when she heard them in Jamaica, it meant that the coming day would be hot. Is this true? Denny, Ottowa, Ontario, Canada

Hi

Date: Thursday, Sep/9/2004
Good to see you guys back.
Well its about another 6 weeks or so before us cicada enthusiasts here in NZ can expect to hear our first cicadas for the new season. I cannot wait, make the most of the time you guys have left in the northern hemisphere.
Kees Green, Dunedin, New Zealand

Cicada on my window!

Date: Thursday, Sep/9/2004
I know nothing about the Cicada but I went to go make lunch and noticed a hige insect on my window, I thought he looked like a locust so I checked online at pictures and came across the Cicada and it’s a definite match. He is massive! I looked at the chart stating when they should be in MA and this guy is about 4 years too early…he must have got lost somewhere along the way! Stephanie Joyce, Everett, MA USA

Back from Vacation

Date: Wednesday, Sep/8/2004
We’re back. Dan, Jerzey

cicada sighting

Date: Thursday, Jul/29/2004
I’ve lived in Washington state for 33 years and have never seen a cicada, (locust)until today! I had one land on the side of my face while weedeating. To say the least, it freeked me out. I’m not sure what species it was, but I know what it is.
I’m originaly from Texas, and lived with the noisy little creatures for 17 years. I can’t say, that I’m pleased to have them here. I have a small apple, cherry, and grape orchard. I know how distructive they can be. I’m also an organic grower.(no pesticides) So, for all of you who enjoy their presence. I won’t be spraying, and will be purchasing some net covers for my trees and vines.
I just thought I’d leave a sighting message, and see if anyone else in Washington has seen any locusts.(cicadas);>) Bo, Graham, Washington. USA

It isn’t over until the last cicada sings…

Date: Thursday, Jul/29/2004
I couldn’t believe it! I was eating a bowl of ice cream and latently listening to the chorus of dog day cicadas when in amongst them – all by itself – one little cassini calling. Unbelievable – but it was there! We had only 4-5 in the woodlot earlier this spring that I could count by their calling. It was a delight to hear that ratcheting sound one more time today. Hopefully, he’ll be there tomorrow. Michele, NW Ohio

Finally!!

Date: Wednesday, Jul/28/2004
I had given up, but today they are finally here! I think our weather has perhaps delayed them, it’s been very cool with lots of rain this month.

Our elevation here is approx. 3,400 feet, so that might have had something to do with it too.

I have only seen one so far, but their song is filling the forest! S, Boone, NC

Deer Tick = LYME

Date: Monday, Jul/26/2004
Ajay, I read your post and can’t stress strongly enough to you, to please, please, please get checked for lyme disease!!! The rash only occurs in 50% of people who were bitten by a tick. THe fever indicates an infection, which is probably the lyme bacteria. You MUST be evaluated by a “lyme literate” doctor. My daughter has been battling lyme disease for about 12 yrs now. She is only 22 yrs old. Don’t assume that just because the fever dissipated quickly that you are free from lyme. The symptoms could be varied, and can appear much later. It is best if treated early; late stage lyme can be very difficult to eradicate. Sorry for the alarm, but most folks don’t know enough about this devastating illness to know how to proceed. I hope you don’t have it, but don’t just assume you don’t. My daughter was treated at 10 yrs, and 12 yrs later still has it, even tho we thought it was eradicated then. Don’t mean to be an alarmist, but this has been a nightmare in my home. If you need further info, or want to discuss, email me.
“during my fruitless June cicada I brought back a deer tick from Connetquot State park which I extracted from my lower leg with difficulty. Last weekend I suddenly developed a high two day fever which exceeded 103.5. It vanished as suddenly as it appeared. With no rash, or joint pain I do not think it is Lyme but there are other tick borne diseases. I hope my LI cicada was not even worse than I suspected. — AJay, Stony Brook ” Marilyn, Great Neck,NY

lots “o” cicadas!

Date: Monday, Jul/26/2004
hey! theres tons of baby cicadas at my house in Arizona. atleast every morning I wake up and go to my back yard and find 5 to 6 baby cicada shells. Ive seen how a nymph is born into a cicada, it was pretty cool. sometimes i find dead cicadas with there wings preformed, the neighborhood cats might like the noise they make when you BUG em. Collin, Gilbert az ,america

LI cicada sightings!

Date: Monday, Jul/26/2004
I live in Great Neck, but currently go to school in Valley Stream. I hear them every morning as I walk to class from my car. Haven’t heard any in Great Neck though.

Marilyn, Valley Stream, NY

Brood X: the Next Generation

Date: Sunday, Jul/25/2004
I’m overjoyed–I finally saw some Magicicada Brood X eggs! I went to the groves and picked up branches with oviposit marks, that had fallen onto the parking lot. I discovered you have to break the branches open to see the eggs. They look like miniature grains of rice, hardly bigger than a grain of sand. I had expected them to really BE the size of rice grains–hadn’t seen them before because I never thought of breaking the twig open! I planted them in a bucket with dirt & water…now I’m hoping to see hatchlings in a few days or so. How exciting to be witnessing the next generation of Brood X! The cycle is completed!

Laura Woodswalker, Oaks PA

saw first cicada

Date: Saturday, Jul/24/2004
A cicada flew into our kitchen last night and spent the night on the window sill. This is the first one I’ve seen. Julie, Nashville, TN

They’re here!

Date: Saturday, Jul/24/2004
Saw several cicadas in the yard today. Can’t recall ever seeing them before. Incredible little creatures! Hope to get a photo of them soon so I can identify which exact species we have and find out how often they come topside. They look like little hunters dressed in green camo. They need some flying lessons though — seem about as coordinated as my wife. Joe, Karnes City, Texas

Ann

Date: Friday, Jul/23/2004
The hatching nymphs wont have any wings that are visible or even formed…as for photos of hatching eggs, I dont have any or know where to find some,, if you were asking about molting photos, I have plenty of those.
Howdy Dan, Im still around and watching your site for new stuff on cicadas. Im glad you have this site, its awesome. cicadax, In.

I’ve got at least one

Date: Thursday, Jul/22/2004
How common are cicadas in California? I found one in my back yard today (loud sucker!) and now he’s perched on high on top of a tree making his noise.

I didn’t see CA in the Cicada calendar. Mark, Los Gatos, California

where are they

Date: Thursday, Jul/22/2004
charlotte nc,,,, none at all yet. wondering if our weather the last few years delayed them dave, charlotte nc

A huge one fell into my pool

Date: Thursday, Jul/22/2004
My mom told me to come outside real quick, because the birds dropped something huge and buzzing into the pool. I took it out with a skimmer, put it in my killjar and now I’m waiting to add this one to my collection. Its body is about 3 cm long, a dark green color. I am officially creeped out! Ivanna, Warren, MI, USA

Baby cicada

Date: Thursday, Jul/22/2004
There’s a picture of a freshly hatched baby cicada on this page: http://www.hgic.umd.edu/cicadas/gallery1.html Dan, Cicada Mania Headquarters

Waiting for Hatchlings, and Remembering a Long Hunt

Date: Thursday, Jul/22/2004
I brought many egg branches back from Princeton and festooned the trees around my property in Stony Brook LI with them. I do not see any hatching yet, but I do not know what changes to look for. Sadly I suspect that this will be the only tiny Long Island emergence of Brood X in 2021. Perhaps there will be thousands but unfortunately, there must be millions to overcome the invasive bird predators. Wherever I am that spring, I will post the precise location and perhaps some rescuers will arrive with bird proof netting to provide small safe havens.

I am sorry that I did not save far more dried specimens for my display. They dried so nicely that with a little red nail polish I think they will look almost alive. I even have one female decula. While I hear a few Tibicens outside, they just are so less interesting than the Magics. Meanwhile, during my fruitless June cicada I brought back a deer tick from Connetquot State park which I extracted from my lower leg with difficulty. Last weekend I suddenly developed a high two day fever which exceeded 103.5. It vanished as suddenly as it appeared. With no rash, or joint pain I do not think it is Lyme but there are other tick borne diseases. I hope my LI cicada was not even worse than I suspected. AJay, Stony Brook

Nymphs Hatched from Eggs: Clarification

Date: Wednesday, Jul/21/2004
cicadax, In. pointed out that “only when they emerge and molt for the last time will their wings be fully formed.”
That’s exactly the stage I saw—maybe my earlier message wasn’t clear—nymphs hatched from eggs prior to heading downward for the next 17 years. Here in Maryland, we are in that stage about now. Do you know of any photos of this stage? Ann, Chevy Chase, MD

No Brood X’s live in Texas

Date: Tuesday, Jul/20/2004
As an FYI: only cicadas belonging to the genus Magicicada arrive in Broods. There are no Magicicadas in Texas, so there are no Broods in Texas. Plenty of other species of cicadas though… Dan, Cicada Mania Headquarters

Cicada Brood Unknown

Date: Tuesday, Jul/20/2004
Played golf Sunday in Universal City, Tx (Sub of San Antonio), the cicada singing was so loud it hurt my ears. I really mean that they were really loud. Guess since we’re in the 95 plus temps now, they are in full glory. During the day time hours today in the city, I can hear them as if there were no other sounds.. Bill Rain, San Antonio

nymphs

Date: Monday, Jul/19/2004
Magicicada hatchlings have no wings out and durring nymph stage, they have none out as well. only when they emerge and molt for the last time will their wings be fully formed. You may have seen Aphids or young leaf hoppers, which both are related to cicada family. cicadax, In.

Hatched Nymphs: Think I’ve Finally Seen Them?!

Date: Sunday, Jul/18/2004
Yesterday I saw what I think are the cicada nymphs that have hatched, but would like some verification. They were of two ages, I think: the smallest were tannish grey and the larger were all white. Wings folded like a very narrow tent over their bodies and three pairs of legs. They were crawling on a box elder tree near areas where eggs had been laid. If these are the nymphs, I’m excited!
Ann, Chevy Chase, Maryland

Very last septendecim?

Date: Saturday, Jul/17/2004
OK, it wasn’t alive, but today I found a freshly dead septendecim that still LOOKED alive. The annuals have been chirping away for a few weeks now. And here’s to the possibility of a few Brood X stragglers next year! Phil, Arlington, VA

I got pictures!

Date: Saturday, Jul/17/2004
I took pictures of a newly emerged cicada on the frame of our back door last night! The aqua-blue veining in the wings was spectacular (I never realized they had that color), and the entire body shimmered with a metallic gold sheen. This is the first time I’ve seen a newly emerged one. I’m so excited! MrsJennings, Tulsa, OK USA

first one tonite

Date: Saturday, Jul/17/2004
hadn’t planned on seeing any in this part of the country, but found one on our patio earlier tonite! mikee, conway, sc

they are hatching!

Date: Friday, Jul/16/2004
Magicicada are hatching in full force here! I just watched several within a few moments! Look closely though, hard to see! Best to watch right where the ovipositing took place, you can see the nymphs slowly exit! ENJOY! cicada x, In.

They are here!!!!

Date: Friday, Jul/16/2004
After reading several reports expecting very little or no activity this year on Long Island. I stepped outside my office today to the wonderful sound of the Cicada! There are many singing their songs and buzzing through the air! I will try to get some visual evidence this evening! mikebober, Little Neck, NY (Long Island)

brood x in 2005?

Date: Thursday, Jul/15/2004
brood x delayed til 2005? is that possible? has that ever happened before? if so…i wanna know; that way i can experience the beauty i did this year all over again…..let me know! cicadia cruz, puerto rico

Tibicens

Date: Thursday, Jul/15/2004
Cooooooooool! They are everywhere! :):) cicadax, In.

Wait Till Next Year?

Date: Tuesday, Jul/13/2004
There is a slim chance that the awful cold spring and summer of 2003 may have delayed Brood X on Long Island. I am not very hopeful but next May on the first hot day I will be searching Connetquot River State park once more. I hope to find the exact location where they were seen in Ronkonkoma also. Meanwhile, my empty terrarium which I had hoped to populate with local Brood X specimens will have to be the host of far less interesting Tibicens. I wonder what will be the effect in areas of Brood X emergence of cicada tuned predators now hunting the “Dog Day” species. I suspect this will not be a good year for them. Maybe they should also wait for next year! At least I have some dried Brood X specimens to glue to a branch for an unusual wall trophy. AJay, Stony Brook LI

another Brood X location on Long Island

Date: Tuesday, Jul/13/2004
I received a call yesterday, in response to the recent Newsday article “Fearing the worst for cicada brood”. It was from a Ronkonkoma resident who was very surprised to read the article. At the end of May (she wasn’t sure of the exact date), she witnessed an emergence at her residence. She had just assumed that everyone else in the area was seeing the same thing. She first noticed emergence holes all over her lawn and property. Then, she found multitudes of skins littering the trees, bushes and grass. Finally, she saw live cicadas flying between the trees, which she sometimes had to dodge. Unfortunately, she never heard them calling. She remembered the deafening noise in 1987, but this time not a sound! Ronkonkoma was one of the hot spots for Brood X in 1987, but there had been no confirmed reports for this year, up until now. Once again, the birds must have been on the scene right away. Anyway, she’s going to call me back if she notices any flagging in the area, but I’m sure the cicadas never made it that point. So, I don’t know if it’s important, but here’s one more town to add to the list. It may be of interest only for the fact that these may be the final emergence locations ever listed for Brood X in New York State. Lenny, Sound Beach, NY

They’re Here!

Date: Monday, Jul/12/2004
I can finally hear them! I’ve been waiting all summer for the song of the cicada, but until tonight, July 12th have not heard them!

I don’t think there is anything unusual about the volume (such as there are millions of them)!

I know that summer has finally arrived in Michigan! Patty Thompson, Redford, Michigan

Cicada siting

Date: Monday, Jul/12/2004
Lots of Cicada in my backyard! I kept wondering what these brownish looking shrimp like shells are that are hanging on my kids jungle gym. I checked it out on the internet and found out about these marvelous bugs! I suppose the live ones are still in the trees. It truly is a phenomenon.

-Anna Anna, Bergen County, NJ

Christmas in July

Date: Sunday, Jul/11/2004
That’s what it looked like along Rt. 322 just west of Harrisburg PA. It appears that our Magicicada friends must have been busy there, flagging the trees so that lots of orange branches hang down like Xmas ornaments. No one reported a cicada emergence there, and I wasn’t even sure if it was in their range, but while everyone in the cities was bemoaning their absence, it seems they were quietly going about their business in more remote areas. Perhaps there is hope for their survival. Long live Magicicicada! Laura, Oaks PA

Comic strip

Date: Sunday, Jul/11/2004
Check out todays ‘JULY-11’ strip of “Over the hedge” Looks good! Jeff Jeff, waterford,NJ

Don’t expect questions to be answered on the message board

Date: Sunday, Jul/11/2004
But here’s a bunch of Tibicen sound files: http://buzz.ifas.ufl.edu/c700fl1.htm Dan, Cicada Mania

Tibicen soundfiles?

Date: Saturday, Jul/10/2004
I’m definitely hearing annual cicadas around now, but I can’t tell the difference between species. I know I can hear more than one species, but I’m not sure which is which. Does anyone know where I can get soundclips for the various Tibicen songs? Mitya, Falls Church, VA

2004-07-09 ARIZONA /TUCSON /CHERRY ST /(Just So. of UofA)

Date: Saturday, Jul/10/2004
The Cicada’s are plentiful in this area (for the Desert Southwest). About 2-3 for every tree in this section from 6th down to Broadway St. Perhaps 2-300 or more there. They’re still humming along despite the 100 degree temps. Most of the trees they’re in are Mesquite. The ground out this way is cement-like. I wish them lots of luck digging into that! Rich B, Tucson, AZ

cicada fairwell

Date: Saturday, Jul/10/2004
The sun, warm in the trees and a breeze rustles the leaves as the last cicada finishes laying her eggs. She turns to take one last look at her own brood, the part of her life she lived for in the ground 17 years. She then flys away, knowing they are safe, she lands on a stone at the base of the tree and sits in the warm sunlight, knowing she has finished her job. With a flap of her wings and a touch in the air, she says goodbye to the world around her and slowly she begins to fade. She is happy, she has spent a lifetime in a day,a day in a life and lived in a huge world of wonder and excitement. Now, it all fades, but she isnt dying, for she lives on in her children and our memories….to brood x a cicada fairwell untill next we meet again. Cicada x, IN

Cab i cicada???

Date: Saturday, Jul/10/2004
Can a Cicada ever fight back agianst a cicada killer wasp? landon, Batesville ark.

spotted

Date: Friday, Jul/9/2004
I was under the impression that the cicadas would not be this far south, but tonight my husband and I spotted one on our patio screen. We had heard an evening sound that we had not heard for a long time and a friend from Minneapolis was visiting and said he believes the sound was the cicadas and after tonight we believe.
The Cabeza’s, Greer SC
Pandora, Greer, SC

They are invading Vegas

Date: Friday, Jul/9/2004
OMG….I saw these huge shells of a bugs on the side of all the houses where I live and I had no idea what they were until i read about it on a post somewhere came here and saw the pictures and realized what they are. They are all over the place. My dogs like playing with them. I think I actually saw one fly by my face when i was walking yesterday. EWWW. Angela, Las Vegas, NV

First Chloromera

Date: Friday, Jul/9/2004
I heard my first chloromera yesterday. Also, I’m starting to hear increasing numbers of canicularis (at least, that’s what I think they are). Ah, the sounds of summer! Lenny, Sound Beach, NY (Suffolk County)

Cicadas…in Goethe’s Faust!

Date: Friday, Jul/9/2004
I’m reading Goethe’s Faust just because I feel like it, but in the very beginning–the “Prologue in Heaven,” Mephistopheles relates the “small god of the earth” to a cicada. The quote (as translated by Walter Kaufmann) is thus: “He seems to me, if you don’t mind, Your Grace,/Like a cicada of the long-legged race,/that always flies, and, flying, springs,/And in the grass the same old ditty sings;/If only it were grass he could repose in!/There is no trash he will not poke his nose in.” Mitya, Falls Church, VA

Cicadas in Texas

Date: Thursday, Jul/8/2004
So I have looked at pictures of these things and have read up on them. This morning my roommate has me go outside to see these (what he calls) big bugs on the side of the house. After looking at it for a moment it dawned on me that it was a cicada and its shell. Looking at the tree out front I found more shells. I didnt think they were suppose to be in Texas. Has anyone else seen them down here. I have a picture but its on his telephone…what good that does me. Jenn, Celeste, Tx, USA

Finally Arrived!

Date: Thursday, Jul/8/2004
They are emerging in my yard as I write(9PM). Two shells are on my tree and two live ones are climbing the tree to emerge. I’m going to try and video tape some of it. It rained last night. Dylan Johnson, Kutztown,Pa

lots of cicadas

Date: Thursday, Jul/8/2004
We’ve heard and have seen them for about a month and a half and they usually stay through September. You know when winter’s coming here in Pflugerville and the hot summer days on the flip side. It’s kinda lonely when their sound disappears for the winter. My mom used to fly them like airplanes when she was a kid in Oklahoma. Not many toys. Drema, Pflugerville, TX., USA

SIGHTING!

Date: Thursday, Jul/8/2004
I have seen several Cicada Bugs in the Columbus, GA area! Why so early? CeeCee, Columbus, GA

First Tibicen!

Date: Tuesday, Jul/6/2004
Well, brood X was a flop on Long Island this year, but summer’s here and the tibicen show is beginning! I heard my first one today at Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown (Suffolk County). I think it was a canicualris. It definitely wasn’t a chloromera. Lots of great dragonfly activity as well! Can’t wait to get my fill of Magicicada when brood XIV comes around in 2008! I’ll be counting the days! Lenny, Sound Beach, NY (Suffolk County)

Cicada Protection And the Endangered Species act

Date: Tuesday, Jul/6/2004
I think that we may be able to use the Endangered Species act against those disease bearing feathered vermin, sparrows and starlings. The seven species of periodical cicadas, divided into the 15 broods of 13 and 17 year species and incipient species are a unique North American phenomenon which are evidently in serious jeopardy from the invasion of sparrows and starlings. The extinction of Brood X on Long Island and the total extirpation of Brood XI are warning signs that Periodical cicadas may be less secure than many people realize. When predator satiation is not reached, the total destruction of entire populations can be nearly instantaneous. Certain native bird species such as the bluebird are also under great pressure. I propose that the invasive exotic species in effect constitute a form of environmental degradation and pollution which can and should be controlled. (Certain potentially deadly fungus diseases such as histoplasmosis are also spread by the massive excrement deposits left by these invaders) Avitrol for example is not only very effective but in addition, predators feeding on affected “feathered rats” have been shown not to suffer any deleterious effects. I Propose that as many people as possible (especially cicada fans) contact the appropriate Federal agencies to undertake feathered vermin control measures as expeditiously as possible. AJay, Stony Brook LI

Sightings

Date: Monday, Jul/5/2004
I have 2 cicada’s sitting just outside my back door and am terrified to venture out there. What is all this talk about their beauty and myth? They are frightening looking and give me the willies! Donna, Bayport, LI, NY

First Cicada

Date: Sunday, Jul/4/2004
Just heard cicada last night. Old timers in the neighborhood say there was a huge brood here 17 years ago… Russell Young, Summit, NJ

A cicada in our yard

Date: Sunday, Jul/4/2004
I found a cicada hanging from our car’s tire that had just been parked on the grass overnight! What a beautiful creature.Does that mean there should be more of them nearby? Bob Doolittle, Memphis, NY

The Very Very Last Magicicada Septendecim!

Date: Saturday, Jul/3/2004
Greetings! People have been talking about “the Last Cicada” for about 2 weeks now. So here’s my very last word: I went hiking at the Green Lane Reservoir today. Did not expect to see or hear ANY Periodical Cicadas. Picked up a few tree branches that had been heavily oviposited…didn’t see any eggs. If they hatched, they fell onto concrete. But there we were, hiking along the lake, when we began to hear lone Cassini’s here & there, cranking up their “rr-rrr-bzzz”. And suddenly I heard it: the very very LAST Septendecim. I couldn’t believe my ears. He sang clear, long drawn-out notes lasting a good minute each…there seemed to be lots of wind and life left in this heroic holdout. They were all supposed to be gone by the end of june and here it is July 3. What an inspiration! Laura Woodswalker, Oaks PA

One cicada heard Friday am, July 2

Date: Saturday, Jul/3/2004
After a long silence all week (at least in the early am and evening), I heard one single cicada on Friday around 8:30 am “whoa-ing” in the woods in Princeton. Nobody was answering.

Haven’t heard any since.

Fairfax Fairfax, Princeton, NJ

Lack of sightings on Long Island

Date: Friday, Jul/2/2004
Hi fellow cicada enthusiasts,

I’ve written several stories in Newsday about Long Island’s Brood X representatives. Sadly, they seem to have fizzled out twice – first in East Setauket after a very brief showing and more recently in the NE part of Connetquot River State Park, where a Parks Dept. employee heard them in scattered locations, but only for a few days. Then nothing. The experts I’ve talked to so far are at a loss to explain it, since there are no obvious differences in the areas where the cicadas emerged in 1987. I would welcome comments from anyone who had been looking forward to seeing the cicadas and had actively sought them in different areas around the Island. You can contact me directly at Newsday at 631-843-2583.

Cheers,
Bryn
Bryn Nelson, Melville, New York

Tibicens

Date: Friday, Jul/2/2004
Finding many Tibicens and hearing them more often. Got up this morn and couldnt believe my eyes, found one female cassini hanging on a limb, she looked as if she hadnt mated or layed eggs, ovipositor was still tucked away and she was quite active…..I held her for a few and then she flew away. I havent heard any males so she will die unhappy…..guess nature has its reasons. cicadax, in.

Cicada eggs and nymphs

Date: Friday, Jul/2/2004
I am interested in seeing pictures of the nymphs that emerge from the eggs that were recently laid. IF any one sees these little hatchlings please photograph them.
Well, here in NY looks like we missed the Magicicada. I heard a Tibicen cholomera singing on this early humid morning! Elias, Queens County New York

Lonely cicada heard

Date: Friday, Jul/2/2004
I was walking in the woods at Schooley Mill Park in Howard County in central Maryland around noon today (July 2) and I heard one cicada calling at the bottom of a little stream valley. The last time I saw or heard one before that had been June 22. Jim Glenn, Clarksville, MD

Magicicada e-group

Date: Thursday, Jul/1/2004
If anyone has questions or would like to discuss something at greater length, you can try my e-group at
***dead website ***. I changed the settings so that anyone can view messages and post. (the default is “members only” and that’s kind of a turn-off.) I think you have to create a Yahoo login first, though. See you there, maybe! Laura Woodswalker, Oaks PA

heard one

Date: Thursday, Jul/1/2004
heard one at 2:29 pm in a tree in front of my house. luis, tucson,az

Heard one

Date: Wednesday, Jun/30/2004
Periodical cicada was heard at the Shady Grove Metro near the new garage on June 30, 2004, around 3:30 PM, loud and clear. Hadn’t heard any for at least a week. Beth, Laytonsville

Eggs – part 2

Date: Wednesday, Jun/30/2004
Ooops, just went to the “Gallery,” saw photos of the eggs…. will try to find some! Sue, Riverdale, MD

Eggs?

Date: Wednesday, Jun/30/2004
I think the idea of an “egg rescue” is great; so what exactly are we looking for, something tiny IN the branches, on top, or? Sue, Riverdale, MD

Alas, absent in Ann Arbor

Date: Wednesday, Jun/30/2004
Larry from Detroit: Went in the Dixboro area yesterday, to see the Magic Cicadas (just south of Ply-Ann Arbor street)where the Botanical Gardens are. There was a huge showing here in the begining, but unfortunately they appear to be all gone. No singing and no flying..not one live soul spotted…and it was 80’and sunny. This is unusal as their life span was short of 3 weeks. Last week they were hardly singing (on July 24th)and the birds were plentiful, squawing,flying wildly and picking them out of the trees with ease. I suspect these predators, plus the cooler than usual nights (46’to 52′) and the days in the lower 70’s (with hardly any sunshine) wiped out alot of their numbers way too early. I will miss the Stars of Brood X (their air acrobatics, those pretty eyes,and friendliness) and hope their little ones make it safely back into the Earth. And thank-you Dan for this great board. Deborah, Westland, Wayne County, Mich

X Files

Date: Wednesday, Jun/30/2004
An X Files Episode tonight on TNT dealt with strange predatory humanoids living in a Florida Swamp. They had glowing red eyes and the only sound they produced was that of Magicicada Cassini! I thought I was gong to have to wait till 2008 for Brood XIV to hear that sound again! Ajay, Stony Book LI

Some cicadas still around in Western PA

Date: Tuesday, Jun/29/2004
We just returned from a trip to Kentucky. There were no cicadas left in Cincinnati but there are still some singing away near Bedford, PA – easy to hear if you are on the PA turnpike. I work in MD and commute along I-95 every day. The flagging starts just north of the DE/MD line between DE 896 and DE 273 – there is no singing left here. On 6/21 we heard lots of singing in Catoctin State Park. The heavy concentrations I saw this year seemed to be along old MD 924 in Bel Air and at the North East exit of I-95. I will sorely miss these fun insects and look forward to 2021. I was so disappointed they didn’t come out in my area. Joan, Chadds Ford, PA

Cicada Wedding in 1987

Date: Tuesday, Jun/29/2004
Hi I was looking at my articles on the cicadas from 1987 and I have
one about a lady who got married then and had a cicada-themed
wedding. Her name is Liz and she was married in the DC area.
She was born in a cicada year (1953) and graduated in another
cicada year (1970). So it was fitting that she got married in
1987…her third cidada year.

Liz, are you by any chance on this board? I would love to hear your
perspectives 17 years later on the cicadas and your wedding 🙂 What
life event did you celebrate this time around? The article even has
a pic of the invitation and pic of Liz’s sister with a cicada
wedding cake topping that she made (not a real cicada).

What an incredibly creative idea….I am so glad I kept this article.
Debbie, Seattle

Cicada Display

Date: Tuesday, Jun/29/2004
I have a half dozen dried cicadas on my microwave and they still look quite good; some have reddish eyes still. I plan on carefully gluing them to a small branch and spaying them with some plastic coating for as lifelike display as possible.
It is sad that this has all come to an end so quickly. I suspect that there still might be some left in NE PA. I remember years ago finding Brood II singing loudly in that area on a small mountain around July 1. I was training for my first NYC Marathon and stopped my run to enjoy the amazing sights and sounds. I was sure “Them” ants as big as busses would shortly come crashing out of the forest! When I brought some home for my yard in Flushing I found how quickly those vile starlings can appear out of nowhere. They were devoured within two minutes of release 🙁
AJay, Stony Brook LI

Rainy days & Resin

Date: Monday, Jun/28/2004
Someone asked about rainy days. The cicadas were definitely quieter on cool/cloudy days and I don’t think they would sing at all when it rained. As to the resin-cast: I haven’t tried it yet, I’m letting my specimens dry out more. The newest ones are 2 weeks old. I experimented w/ red nail polish to bring back the red in their eyes, and clear nail polish on other parts to get rid of that ‘dried-up dead bug’ look. On the resin can it says “to avoid trapping air, dip embedments into catalyzed resin.” See www.eti-usa.com for information about resin products. Very toxic stuff. Laura Woodswalker, Oaks PA

Singing, Flagging, eggs

Date: Monday, Jun/28/2004
Someone asked about singing in cold, wet weather, they don’t sing. We had some weather like that and I noticed that they were on the trees but under leaves and no singing. The singing became less and less and one day it did not happen. We have alot of flagging in my area. In fact, I saw a lady today with a leave blower out because her yard was covered in small batches of leaves. It looks like fall here because of the brown leaves on the ground and on the trees. I still have not seen any eggs drop. Shirley Jeffords, Silver Spring, MD

Egg Rescue

Date: Monday, Jun/28/2004
Areas with large Magicicada populations now are littered with huge numbers of egg laden branches. I hope that some of the cicada fans out there can rescue as many as possible from lawnmowers and trash piles and place them in wooded areas, especially those with relatively small populations. A large garbage bag could hold lots but done forget it in a close car. The unnatural predation by starlings and sparrows is already putting severe pressure on these amazing species and we should all try to preserve this amazing beautiful natural resource for future generations to enjoy and marvel at. If I had thought of the idea earlier, I would have obtained some of the protective anti cicada mesh and used it to provide a safe haven for my Princeton cicadas by putting them inside out of reach of the disgusting disease bearing starlings and sparrows which quickly annihilated them. (I have a perfect peach tree for that too and extra compost could have compensated for any use of the trees’ resources) AJay, Stony Brook LI

Periodicals quieter, Annuals making some noise

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
Noise has really dropped off in the last two weeks in the Fairfax/Clifton areas. Only hear a few lonely souls at a time now, instead of thousands. Last Friday I was surprised to hear some and see flagging SW of Clifton and along Yates Ford Rd east of Manassas. It seemed to stop as soon as the road ends at Prince William Pkwy. I’ve found cicadas north and east of Manassas now, but they disappear as soon as I get to town. Haven’t actually seen one in person since 2nd week of June. We must get the brood that comes in 2013. Interesting how they’re spaced 8 and 9 years apart from each other. BTW This morning was the 1st time I’ve noticed the song of the annual cicadas. It’s officially summer now that I’ve heard them!
Kenny, Manassas, VA

Nearby sighting, for the record

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
My location, near Atlanta, GA, isn’t within Brood X’s range, but it’s close enough that I decided to try to drive fnorth to see it. My first attempt, at the end of May, was a drive through Gainesville. Nothing.

My second attempt, a few days later, went up 515 and took me as far as Ellijay. I didn’t find anything, but on the way back, about two miles south of Ellijay I stopped at a rest stop named “Scenic View”. There were about a dozen dead cicadas there; I spotted a single live one flying around the trees. A map tells me that this is probably the southernmost extent of the entire brood, so maybe this information is useful to someone.

My third attempt was a trip to Amicalola Falls State Park at the start of June. It was raining and I didn’t walk very far down the trails. I spotted the occasional dead cicada here and there–maybe 6 or 7 total–but nothing live, no singing (not unexpected given the weather), and certainly nothing even vaguely swarmlike. Ken Arromdee, Norcross, GA

cicada

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
i caught my first cicada today at 2:00 he was a crawling one with no wingsand at 6:45 he molted grew wings and at 7:51 i set him free i have never experienced them coming out of their skins i have seen the skins and full grown but never the transformation it was a cool transformation i will have to catch another one and watch him too. Lex, Sanger,TX

First annual (Tibicen) cicada heard today!

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
My family & I visited the Cincinnati Zoo this afternoon & I finally heard my first annual cicada there. It was a “Tibicen linnei”….my favorite of the annuals. Hopefully I will find an emerging nymph soon! I have heard no periodical cicadas since last Tuesday. Roy Troutman, Batavia, Ohio

Are they still singing around here?

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
Need some help – the emergence was large west of me, in the Ann Arbor area, but I heard it was spotty. Any reports of these wonders still singing?
Must hear more, a wonderful sound.
Thanks
Larry D
Larry DiVizio, Detroit, Mi. USA

Periodicals quieter, Annuals making some noise

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
Noise has really dropped off in the last two weeks in the Fairfax/Clifton areas. Only hear a few lonely souls at a time now, instead of thousands. Last Friday I was surprised to hear some and see flagging SW of Clifton and along Yates Ford Rd east of Manassas. It seemed to stop as soon as the road ends at Prince William Pkwy. I’ve found cicadas north and east of Manassas now, but they disappear as soon as I get to town. Haven’t actually seen one in person since 2nd week of June. We must get the brood that comes in 2013. Interesting how they’re spaced 8 and 9 years apart from each other. BTW This morning was the 1st time I’ve noticed the song of the annual cicadas. It’s officially summer now that I’ve heard them!
Kenny, Manassas, VA

Nearby sighting, for the record

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
My location, near Atlanta, GA, isn’t within Brood X’s range, but it’s close enough that I decided to try to drive fnorth to see it. My first attempt, at the end of May, was a drive through Gainesville. Nothing.

My second attempt, a few days later, went up 515 and took me as far as Ellijay. I didn’t find anything, but on the way back, about two miles south of Ellijay I stopped at a rest stop named “Scenic View”. There were about a dozen dead cicadas there; I spotted a single live one flying around the trees. A map tells me that this is probably the southernmost extent of the entire brood, so maybe this information is useful to someone.

My third attempt was a trip to Amicalola Falls State Park at the start of June. It was raining and I didn’t walk very far down the trails. I spotted the occasional dead cicada here and there–maybe 6 or 7 total–but nothing live, no singing (not unexpected given the weather), and certainly nothing even vaguely swarmlike. Ken Arromdee, Norcross, GA

cicada

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
i caught my first cicada today at 2:00 he was a crawling one with no wingsand at 6:45 he molted grew wings and at 7:51 i set him free i have never experienced them coming out of their skins i have seen the skins and full grown but never the transformation it was a cool transformation i will have to catch another one and watch him too. Lex, Sanger,TX

First annual (Tibicen) cicada heard today!

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
My family & I visited the Cincinnati Zoo this afternoon & I finally heard my first annual cicada there. It was a “Tibicen linnei”….my favorite of the annuals. Hopefully I will find an emerging nymph soon! I have heard no periodical cicadas since last Tuesday. Roy Troutman, Batavia, Ohio

Help with casting…

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
I found this link on a taxidermy website last night…
http://www.eti-usa.com/books/castinbk/page9.htm
That page is specific to what we’re trying to do but it’s a whole leaflet so to speak so you can read the whole thing if you like.
Looks like some things that I didn’t do were wait till the resin was gelled before I put in the cicada, I didn’t dry him out first with silica gel or something like it…
But that link should be pretty helpful and I’ll probably try again soon. I’ll probably try with one of the not so hot looking dead cicadas that are still outside rather than the “good” ones that I picked.
I hope this helps!!!!
Karen Karen , Catonsville

Resin Bubbles

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
I had the same experience as you — lots of little bubbles, even this cloudy mold like stuff. This was my first try without talking to anyone, so I’m not 100% disappointed. If I let the cicadas dry first, and then poked a hole in their abdoments so the air would get out sooner… maybe that would have helped. Or maybe it would have hurt… I should have practiced on roaches! Dan, Cicadamania

Haven’t seen one

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
Was checking the site because I was excited about the 17 year brood. Now I am disappointed that they have been here and gone. Not in North Jersey. Eric, Saddle Brook, NJ

Casting In Resin…

Date: Sunday, Jun/27/2004
Anyone tried this?
I tried today and although it was easier than I thought, my cicada ended up looking like she was covered in carbonation or covered in ice. No other air bubbles in the mixture except for around the cicada.
When I put her in, it didn’t appear that there was any problem.
Anyone have any suggestions?
I’ve seen a few casts on ebay and none of them look like what mine did.
Here’s a link to all of my cicada pics. At the end I’ve uploaded the pics of my cast.
By the way I took some photos of some eggs that I found. To get the full effect, there’s an option to view the original picture which will take up more than your screen but will show great detail if you’re interested.
Forgive the monotony of the pics, I just kept snapping in the hopes of a few coming out well 😉
It’s just a test and looks like a huge ice cube 🙂
Take care,
Karen
http://imageevent.com/karennnnn/cicadas
Karen, Catonsville

A few straggler Cicadas still going in Princeton

Date: Saturday, Jun/26/2004
They get a late start now-10:30 am as opposed to 4:30 am-but a few stragglers are still going. Suspect they’re the Cassinis. We call them the “ratchets” as they wind up their calls. They will be sorely missed. They’re the only insects that make alarm calls if I’m disturbing their habitat (low key agitated buzzes) or down right scream when I inadvertently close a barn door on a Cicada leg stuck in the door jam. They’ll be sorely missed. Fairfax, Princeton, NJ

Cicada singing

Date: Friday, Jun/25/2004
To all of you who have had the privilege of living with cicadas, I have a question I haven’t found on any site yet. Do the magicicadas sing on rainy days? Cloudy days? Cool days? Just curious if they are like the Dog-days. Also, when they start dying off – what does it sound like? Does the whirring and buzzing just get softer and weaker until there are only the sounds of individual singers? I had to drive 1 1/2 hours from where I live to enjoy them. Two trips I made were a weak apart and the second time I noticed that the decims weren’t as loud and many were dead. The cassini’s were still going strong. I went to Highbanks Metro Park in Columbus and it was freaky because just in one parking area I found numerous decims infected or dead with that gross fungus. Just in that one area! Gave me the creeps and I got out of there. It was kind of dark and shaded there too, which made it more creepy. Appreciate your comments on my questions and “dying” (oops) to know. Love this site and all the input from everyone since I wasn’t blessed with their presence. Michele, Ohio

New Search in Connetquoit Park

Date: Friday, Jun/25/2004
Connetquot State Park Today. Park Employees including Gil Bergen who has been
there for decades, told me that there definitely were a small number of periodical cicadas
in the tree tops a week ago. They disappeared quickly it seems; I suspect starlings and
sparrows wiped them out. I went on a long hike toward the North east section of the park
where the sounds were heard. I saw no trace of our ephemeral friends and had to cut my
expedition short when I found one of those nasty deer ticks embedded on my leg. I also
circled Lake Ronkonkoma, Again lots of great cicada habitat, but no trace of cicadas.
Gil promised to keep in touch and admitted that he was not absolutely positive about the
exact years of long ago emergences but will look through old records. I had prepared a
really nice terrarium with live small maple trees growing in moist soil but sadly have no
little red eyed singers to fill my living room with joyful sound. A disappointing day.
AJay, Stoy Brook LI

A cicada carving

Date: Thursday, Jun/24/2004
I just finished carving a cicada today.It turned out good, I think Ill make a necklace out of it. Im starting to see more of the green cicadas, the ones I get every year and the funny thing about them, they seem to tune up their tubas in practice…then begin to sing a little in the evening. They are a pretty cicada and faster than brood x.
Once you catch one though, they are quite tame and like being petted on the back. The one I held and petted leaned from side to side,the side I petted is where she would tilt. I placed her on a leaf, but she flew back to me as I headed back to the house, so, I had to carry her around a while, she stayed on my shoulder, even in the house. I guess Ill call her Kayla. She finally allowed me to put her on the tree, guess she was thirsty for some tree sap. Way cool bug. Went back out before going to work and she was still in the same tree, flew to me and landed on my forehead. I placed her back on the tree. will check on her in the morn. Cicada x, In.

Patapsco State Park Cicadas

Date: Thursday, Jun/24/2004
I saw about a dozen monday, and heard some in the trees, but for the most part not more than one at a time. Today I heard a few, but didn’t see any. I was in the park from the swinging bridge south on both the sides of the river. George, Elkridge, Md, USA

patapsco state park?

Date: Thursday, Jun/24/2004
Which part of the park have you seen cicadas? I know at the tire park in Catonsville they are probably gone; they arrived more than 6 weeks ago now.
If I could see another live one that would be so cool!
karen, catonsville

thanks to marie

Date: Thursday, Jun/24/2004
Thank you Marie for the info about the poem, it was very good and thank you for the touch….thank you Dan for the info on the resin and thank you for this wonderful site. i will visit often and hopefully get to read new messages.I do apologise for the shouting, i never knew all caps meant that. To all cicada lovers and haters, take care and be safe. 🙂 cicada x, in

Waning cicadas and messages

Date: Thursday, Jun/24/2004
The cicadas seem to be waning and so do the posts on this message board. Thank you so much Dan for setting up this message board so all could share their cicada experiences. It has been really wonderful for me to relive another emergence through hearing about it through all of you, even though I wasn’t there to experience them in person this time. And thanks for those of you who offered to send me wings and for those of you that posted awesome pics. I may go the web site that’s been set up and post my display of the wings Joyce sent me there. I have really appreciated being able to share my love for the magicicadas with all of you….. Debbie, Seattle

Long Search At Connetquot State Park

Date: Thursday, Jun/24/2004
I ran and walked close to 10 miles in and around Connetquot State Park today, carrying a new 3 CCD Panasonic camcorder. A woman at the gate described her daughter seeing “hordes of disgusting insects” around her home on Connetquot Avenue near the park. I missed Gil Began the resident expert and will try and go back and talk to him tomorrow. Unfortunately I saw and heard not one Magicicada. I had found cicada wings miles from Princeton last week but saw no wings, no exoskeletons and no exit holes during my long exploration today. The park was very beautiful, however, with mid 80s tomorrow, I will make another investigation. I still am hoping for some success. AJay, Stony Brook LI

New Yahoo Group

Date: Thursday, Jun/24/2004
Laura, who “noticed that it is hard for people to communicate directly with each other on this message board”, started a Yahoo! e-group . Check it out: *** dead website *** Dan, Cicada Mania

Don’t go to Cincinnati

Date: Wednesday, Jun/23/2004
I just got back from a couple of days in Newport KY and Cincinnatti (well, north at the King’s Island amusement park)… I believe the cicadas are finished in that area. We spent a lot of time outside, and there were none to be heard or seen. An employee of the natural history museum told me she hadn’t seen any for a few days. Sadly, the magic seems to be mostly over in the midwest. Holly, Indianapolis, In

Forget about periodical cicadas LI

Date: Wednesday, Jun/23/2004
If they haven’t shown up yet it is because they are dead and gone. Today I heard the first tibicen of the season and no doubt those creatures like soil temperatures a good bit higher than 64 degrees. It’s past that point – if they were going to come out they certainly would’ve been here at least 3-4 weeks ago. In fact, the tibicen is about 10 days earlier than usual which would point to above normal soil temperature.
Joe, Long Island

Cicada Time Line for Elkridge Md

Date: Wednesday, Jun/23/2004
May 12: Zero.
May 13: Cicada entrance.
May 15: Started singing.
May 22- Jun1: Approx peak.
Jun 18: Cicada exit.
Jun 19: Zero.

There are still a few in the Patapsco State Park. George, Elkridge, Md, USA

eggs

Date: Wednesday, Jun/23/2004
I have seen eggs and a few hatchlings today,tiny white bugs…cute…they seem to wait till evening here to come out of the eggs, they drop from the branches almost like a feather falling slowly.Very interesting to watch. if you see any its best not to handle the hatchlings. Very fragile, but enjoy them when you can. cicada x cicada x, in

Anyone know when they will be gone?

Date: Wednesday, Jun/23/2004
For over a week now things have been dying down in the Princeton area – although the mornings are quiet, in the afternoons I still hear the cassini “singing”/screeching and from time to time have seen them. Does anyone know how long until they are “officially” gone for the next 17 years? Day after day it seems that they are but then they reappear. (I thought by late June they were gone but guess I was wrong.) Also, when the eggs start dropping will they be apparent or is it something most people don’t even notice?
Thanks in advance. Jennifer, Princeton, NJ

eggs…

Date: Wednesday, Jun/23/2004
I haven’t seen any hatch, but so many branches have fallen to the ground where eggs have been laid. The little dude and I were at the park yesterday and decided to investigate to see if we could find eggs. It was really easy to do. If you find a branch; there are tiny scratches in it. Break it apart where the scratches are and you can see the eggs inside; like little grains of rice. We didn’t see any that had hatched but then again I’m not sure how you’d see that. I’m sure as soon as they hatch they probably fall to the ground.
I think I’ll stay away from sitting under trees for a while 🙂
Karen Karen , Catonsville

How can you tell when the eggs are dropping??

Date: Wednesday, Jun/23/2004
I see lots of scratches on the branches of the trees in my yard. How large are these eggs or larva going to be when they “drop”?? I’d like to see it happen if possible, just want to know what I am looking for…..All cicadas are gone here, have been gone for 2 weeks now, I miss their songs & watching them interact up close. Staci, Beltsville, MD

Any eggs dropping yet?

Date: Wednesday, Jun/23/2004
I really want to see the eggs hatch and drop to the ground. Anything like that happening yet. There is a lot of flagging on the trees where I live. Some big trees are completely covered. I am surprised at how high these little bugs climbed to lay their eggs. Shirley Jeffords, Silver Spring, MD

CICADA Sightings and Hearings

Date: Tuesday, Jun/22/2004
U say they are just now coming out ? got news for you dudes, they are hot an heavy in our yard and make noises every year. OUr back yard is full of wonderful trees for them to play their tunes in. Tracey, East Prairie, Missouri USA

PA – still a few

Date: Tuesday, Jun/22/2004
(Middle Creek) I can still hear the UFO sounds, but it keeps sounding farther away and you can pick out individual ones. Cassinis still chattering away. I got the chance to observe several up close while singing (the cicada, not me). Dead bodies are littering the ground but the frequent thunderstorms are washing them away Mike, Lititz PA

A Magicicada Mystery on Long Island

Date: Tuesday, Jun/22/2004
I drove around the perimeter of Connetquot River State Park yesterday morning and there were no Magicicada to be seen or heard. I think the Brood X cicadas are playing games with us on Long Island. To AJay in Stony Brook – the cicadas in Connetquot River SP were reported by the regional environmental education coordinator for NY State Parks. He is extremely knowledgable and was at the park in 1987 for the last Brood X emergence. So, I’m sure they were Magicicadas. We just have to hope they didn’t pull a quick disappearing act like they did in East Setauket. To Michele in Ohio – Thanks for that info! Plum Island is a concern to a lot of folks here. There are a great deal of stories and rumors going around. I just hope the spotty Magicicada activity here can be attributed to natural causes, like AJay pointed out. Time will tell! Lenny, Sound Beach, NY (Suffolk County)

Fruitlless Search Tonight In Suffolk Co. LI

Date: Tuesday, Jun/22/2004
Results of a long search tonight: I went through Setauket and focused on Branch and Mayflower lanes, epicenter of the early Newsday report. Not a single exoskeleton was visible on any surface. (They were still everywhere in Princeton.) I also passed near Ronkonkoma earlier with nothing visible During last weeks’ search around Connetquot State Park I heard quite a few crickets. I HOPE that is not what those park employees heard earlier. Will go back for a second look within two days (Gotta work on my radio talk show tomorrow) AJay, Stony Brook, LI

Fruitlless Search Tonight In Suffolk Co. LI

Date: Tuesday, Jun/22/2004
Results of a long search tonight: I went through Setauket and focused on Branch and Mayflower lanes, epicenter of the early Newsday report. Not a single exoskeleton was visible on any surface. (They were still everywhere in Princeton.) I also passed near Ronkonkoma earlier with nothing visible During last weeks’ search around Connetquot State Park I heard quite a few crickets. I HOPE that is not what those park employees heard earlier. Will go back for a second look within two days (Gotta work on my radio talk show tomorrow) AJay, Stony Brook, LI

Miracle Cicadas

Date: Monday, Jun/21/2004
Very well said, Deborah…these are not just bugs to me either…they are a miracle of God….now roaches are another story 😉 But I suppose God has His reasons for creating those too….just don’t know what they are…I hear they can survive a nuclear blast… Debbie, Seattle

got some!

Date: Monday, Jun/21/2004
Went to Ann Arbor yesterday to Domino farms and got a fair number in the wooded area right next to the parking lot. I also got poison ivy, but that’s another story 🙂 I brought them up here to Algonac, so in 2021, maybe there will be another small pocket of activity! I used a net for the first one I caught, until I figured out that they are really rather slow, clumsy bugs and I can easily just pick them up. I only had 2 or three notice my approach and fly off. In 2021, I am SO going to Cincinnati! Elisa, Algonac, MI

Magicicada Musings

Date: Monday, Jun/21/2004
After not seeing (or hearing) any cicada activity since the 15th, was pleased to see them flying around in Jessup, MD on Friday afternoon on the way to a weekend conference near Northeast, MD. Being further north, I was hopeful that there would still be some cicada activity and was not disappointed. On morning walks both Saturday and Sunday was able to hear the calls of individual male cassini as well as a solitary ‘decim and to hold and watch several ‘decim females found among those who had recently completed their 17 year life. At the risk of overstating but to illustrate their uniqueness, I think that, given their harmlessness, their lack of fear of humans, their self-sacrifice for the brood as well as their dependable but transient appearances, magicicada can in some sense be considered a “holy insect.” Stephen, Alexandria, VA

Ann Arbor Cicadas

Date: Monday, Jun/21/2004
Neil, that’s perfect! Cicadas if you want them; no cicadas if you don’t.
And so one more reason for Ann Arbor to
stay on that most liveable city list 🙂 HB, Ann Arbor

My Dad and the cicadas

Date: Monday, Jun/21/2004
Talked to my Dad today in Baltimore…he was in NYC for the last two emergences so hadn’t experienced the magicicadas before…he said “he’d never heard such a racket” and he’s hard of hearing! I’m noticing that in the Washington Post webcam they seem to be gone now 🙁 He is fascinated by them, like me, and unlike my mother! Debbie, Seattle

Cicadas in NY!!!

Date: Sunday, Jun/20/2004

Thanks you for your persistence Lenny! I was losing hope rapidly reading about the majority of Brood X dying out. It would have been a very sad day if Brood X dissappeared entirely from Long Island. I will make a trip out there in the upcoming week to enjoy this once every 17 year spectacle!! Elias, Queens County, NY

Havre de Grace, Cassini behavior etc.

Date: Sunday, Jun/20/2004
I went down to Havre de Grace MD this weekend. Going south on Rt 95, I saw an incredible amount of tree flagging. I wondered “why did the cicadas like the environment along Rt 95, do they LIKE the noise & pollution of thousands of cars?” And when I got to my campground near Churchville along the Susquehanna, there were almost none…I did pick up one little Cassini with a broken-off wing. I thought he was nearly dead, until I passed another Cassini grove. When he heard his buddies chirping, he started singing his little heart out, then took off and joined them! It is funny how these critters seem to do cute things and have more ‘personality’ than your average ‘bug’…that’s why some of us have gotten so attached to them… I also spoke to someone who preserves furs & antlers. I asked him about preserving cicadas. He says “they are fat & juicy, so you should air-dry them.” I had some in my car & he said that would also work, it is equivalent to ‘baking’ them. (the car gets very hot.) I mentioned about how the red eye color fades & he said “some red nail polish works just fine for that.”
Laura Woodswalker, Oaks PA

Heard some in Towson, MD on Fri. Sat.

Date: Sunday, Jun/20/2004
Although I did not see any adults, I heard some in Towson,MD on Fri. and Sat. I am still waiting to see the eggs drop from my trees in Silver Spring, MD. I am going to Emmittsburg, MD on June 26. Anyone know if they have any there? I had fun with them and I miss them already.
I saw the display in the Natural History Museum in DC today. It wasn’t much. I had more in my backyard. Shirley Jeffords, Silver Spring, MD

RE: Large Cicada

Date: Sunday, Jun/20/2004
Hi,
Your ‘large cicada’ is an annual cicada. These appear every year. With extra hot weather happening, these are emerging a bit early in some areas. I have heard a couple of T. Chloromera around here this weekend. T. Chloromera is black and green with dark eyes, and powdered white underneath.
Fred Berry, Alexandria, VA

Why So Late On LI

Date: Sunday, Jun/20/2004
Central and eastern Long Island probably have some of the chilliest weather in the Northeast. When we are not getting cold northwest winds from Canada, what would otherwise be warm spring days in May tend to be greatly chilled by southwest winds coming off of an Atlantic Ocean with water temperatures in the forties to low fifties. Not only does this keep the soil extremely cold, but it would provide for a very dangerous climate for cicadas, making them very sluggish at a time when birds are made extra hungry trying to keep warm on cold days. As soon as the current one-day cold snap is over I will be going back over all of the promising areas where cicadas were expected. Perhaps, the sandy soil makes pre-emergent holes unnecessary and difficult and that is why they are not being seen. (Hopefully this is not a case of Newsday crying wolf {or teneral cicada} again!) AJay, Stony Brook Long Island

Large cicadas are Tibicens (“annuals”)

Date: Sunday, Jun/20/2004
The large green cicada is almost certainly an “annual”, probably of the genus Tibicen. Their broods emerge every year.

It’s neat when periodicals and annuals overlap in late June.

The first Tibicen I heard this year was extremely early: June 7th! Their numbers have increased in the past week, but still only one speices. The common species with the “zing-a-zing” call should appear soon, usually shows up here the last week of June, as does my favorite Tibicen call, the one that sounds like Ms. Pac Man when you eat a power pill.
Eric, Eastern MO

FINALLY!!!

Date: Sunday, Jun/20/2004
Happy Father’s Day! I woke up today to the news that the emergence has finally begun on Long Island. In a quarter page story in Newsday titled “Better late than never, cicadas”, reports of cicada activity in Connetquot State Park have begun. The first cicadas were heard on Friday by park staff. This was one of the hot spots on the Island back in 1987. No other reports from elsewhere on the ilsand yet, but confidence seems high that this is the beginning of the action! What a nice father’s day present! Lenny, Sound Beach, NY (Suffolk County)

To Lenny looking on Long Island

Date: Sunday, Jun/20/2004
Get the book titled “Lab 257”. I forget the author. It is about what is going on a Plum Island which is not far from Long Island. Personally, I hope what they are doing out there has nothing to do with the ‘cadas being late or no-shows. Let us know if they show up late! Michele, Ohio

Pictures

Date: Sunday, Jun/20/2004
Extreme close up: http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~jlozos/bigcicada.jpg
Yellow eyes: http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~jlozos/yelloweyes.jpg
Exoskeletons up in one of the three silver maples in my yard: http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~jlozos/exos1.jpg
I made a t-shirt: http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~jlozos/broodxshirt.jpg Mitya, Falls Church, VA

Brood X meets Transit of Venus photo

Date: Saturday, Jun/19/2004
I’m the one who took the photo. The sun’s image is projected by a 3inch refracting telescope. At this writing (Sun., 6/19), the photo’s original sharpness has degrated and become too fuzzy to show Venus (near sun’s 4 o’clock edge), plus the famous cicada is not looking its best. Monday AM will contact Kodak, which put the image(s) online for me and ask it to please restore the original clarity! Regards, Herman P.S. Subtracting 797 from 2004 and dividing by 17 gives the number of Brood X cycles since last they coincided with a TOV! Herman Heyn, Baltimore, Maryland

Fond of Cicada’s

Date: Saturday, Jun/19/2004
To Cicada X, from one cicada lover to another, touche’.
go to the archives June 9 and see the beautiful poem to a lady cicada. Thanks, Marie Marie Chibirka, Dalton, PA

LARGE CICADA

Date: Saturday, Jun/19/2004
This morning I found a very large cicada. It did not have any orange on its body . It was 3 times the size of the regular cicadas we have been having and it has black eyes, a green and black body with bluish wings. We have caught it and it is in a cage.
Does anyone know why this one is different? alex brownlow, loveland, ohio usa

Go To Princeton For Last Look

Date: Saturday, Jun/19/2004
Considerable action still in Princeton yesterday (June 18) though well past peak. Saw and heard lots of noisy singing, flying and landing on passersby in the blocks around the Revolutionary War Monument and walking tour areas just south of downtown. Mostly Cassinis however; not many Decims for flying saucer sound effects fans. Spectacular architecture and gorgeous landscaping made the trip worth while; bring a camcorder and watch the sights and sounds again on a cold winter night while dreaming of summer and hoping for a surprise deceleration next spring. AJay, Stony Brook LI

CICADA X

Date: Saturday, Jun/19/2004
Cicada X, first turn off your Caps Lock button. Then go to a craft or art supplies store to find the “Casting Resin” you need. Dan, Cicadamania Headquarters

O.K.

Date: Saturday, Jun/19/2004
WE ALL HAVE OUR LIKES AND DISLIKES, THATS FINE…..BUT TO WISH DEATH ON A LIVING CREATURE IS ONLY WISHING DEATH FOR ALL LIVING THINGS. THE CICADA WAS CREATED FOR A REASON, JUST LIKE ANTS, CATS DOGS AND OTHER THINGS. WE ALL INTERACT IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER. IF YOU DONT LIKE A CERTAIN SPECIES OF LIFE AND DONT WANT TO BE NEAR THEM, MOVE TO A LOCATION WHERE YOU FEEL COMFY, JUST STOP WISHING DEATH TO ANY LIVING CREATURE. I KNOW SOME ONE WILL WISH DEATH ON ME, BUT SORRY, IM NOT GOING TO DIE JUST TO PLEASE DEATH WISHERS. OUR WORLD IS ALREADY SLOWLY DYING DUE TO MAN’S CONSTANT SO CALLED CIVILIZATION AND DEVLOPEMENT. CICADAS ARENT HARMFUL TO ANYTHING, THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO EXIST, JUST LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO WISH THEM DEAD. THINK ON THAT A BIT. WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF SOME ONE WISHED YOU DEAD? JUST BECAUSE THEY DONT LIKE YOU? IF SOME ONE DONT LIKE ME OR VISE VERSA, I JUST GO AWAY AND LIVE MY OWN LIFE. WHY DESTROY SOMETHING JUST BECAUSE YOU DONT LIKE IT? THATS WHATS UP WITH US CICADA MANIACS…WE LOVE LIFE FOR ALL ITS WORTH. CICADA X CICADA X, IN.

SEARCHING

Date: Saturday, Jun/19/2004
CAN ANY ONE OUT THERE TELL ME WHERE I CAN BUY THIS RESIN EVERY ONES TALKING ABOUT? ID LOVE TO WORK WITH SOME AND MAKE MY OWN CASTINGS…….THAT WOULD BE COOL! CICADA X, IN

Jersey

Date: Friday, Jun/18/2004
Unless you live in Princeton, or a few select places in Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset or Hunterdon counties, you most likely won’t see cicadas this year. Dan, Cicadamania Headquarters

“Kewl”

Date: Friday, Jun/18/2004
My husband and I went to Winchester, Virginia over the Memorial Day weekend. I’m glad because I would have never gotten to experience the Cicada. They were everyone, in the trees, on the ground, flying…One landed on my husband. We accidnetly brought one home in the back of our car, (dead), but I put it in a baggie and took it to school and showed it to the class I was in. Told the kids that this is all it was and it was nothing to be afraid off if they came out in New Jersey. Unfortunately, I guess we are missing them in New Jersey. Debbie, Haddon Heights. NJ

Any Cicadas Left in New Jersey or Pennsylvania?

Date: Friday, Jun/18/2004
My family will be traveling to New Jersey the weekend of June 19th . We would love to spot some cicadas. Are there any left in the Princeton area? We will also be in the Valley Forge area of Pennsylvania.
Cyrena, Massachusetts

PA – fading away

Date: Friday, Jun/18/2004
But some are still there! Now you can more easily pick out the wheeee-Oooooo of indviduals. The Cassinis are still readily heard; I just think it’s because they are louder. Mike, Lititz PA

Where are they???

Date: Friday, Jun/18/2004
Fri. June18th ’04

Not a cicada in sight (nor earshot)
Has our 2 consecutive 5 year droughts
‘done them in’?

We had a freak partial-emergence
a few years back of the “X” variety.
Those early birds mated & died in days.
So the line may bounce back, but on a
different schedule. (?)
We shall see what we shall see. 😉
Jake, Bloomfield, NJ (Essex Co)

Andrea, you may be old in 2021

Date: Friday, Jun/18/2004
But you will still need to get around. Probably in a large car at a slow speed. greg, baltimore

To Michael in Adrian

Date: Friday, Jun/18/2004
For cicada lovers and cicada haters, I think Ann Arbor is the best of both worlds. They’re not flying around in the city center and scaring the bejeezus out of the bug phobic. But go to the woods on the northeast side and they are everywhere!

Neil, Ann Arbor, Michigan

SICK SICK SICK

Date: Thursday, Jun/17/2004
ITS SICK TO KNOW THAT SOME OF MY NEIGHBORS WENT TO THE PARK JUST TO CRUSH CICADAS, EVEN WENT TO OTHER PLACES TO DO THIS, WHATS UP WITH THAT? THEY MUST WANT A WORLD WITH ONLY PEOPLE IN IT. THAT WOULD BE QUITE BOREING. ANY ONE CAUGHT ON MY PROPERTY CRUSHING CICADAS OR ANY OTHER LIFE FORM WILL BE PROSECUTED FOR TRESPASSING AND PROPERTY DAMAGE. NO ONE SHOULD FEAR CICADAS, THEY ARE HARMLESS AND FURTHER MORE, THEY ARE GREAT TO WATCH AND LISTEN TO, JUST THINK WHAT THE WORLD WOULD SOUND LIKE WITH NOTHING BUT PEOPLE NOISES. THAT WOULD SUCK. IM LUCKY ENOUGH TO LIVE AWAY FROM TOO MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE NOISES…..NATURE BY FAR OUT DOES PEOPLE NOISES. WHO WANTS TO HEAR SOME LOUD FACTORY HUMMING ALL DAY AND NIGHT? SOME DO, BUT TO ALL THEIR OWN, JUST STOP KILLING THINGS JUST BECAUSE THEY EXIST. MAN WILL DI HIMSELF IN SOON ENOUGH, SO LETS ATLEAST ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE FOR THE TIME BEING. CICADA X, IN.

preserving cicadas

Date: Thursday, Jun/17/2004
I bought some resin today and plan on making casts of some exoskeletons and some adults! It should work well; I’ve seen some resin paperweights and jewelry with cicadas inside on ebay 🙂 Not to mention I’ve seen insects in resin before.
I just hope the eyes stay red, that would be great!
I have a bunch in the freezer and then two live ones inside of my son’s sherrif’s playset thing. They were in the jail but escaped.
I miss them already 🙁 Karen, Catonsville MD