Cicada Mania
Hopefully a few straggler Magicicadas will show up in Princeton this year.
Here’s a selection of links from last years emergence:
Here’s a review for a Japanese Anime titled Human Crossing: the Cicadas of Winter. From the review, it doesn’t seem to have much to do with cicadas, but I’m posting the link anyway.
From Paul Frank’s Language Jottings:
The cicada knows nothing of snow. Said of someone who’s ignorant or inexperienced. There’s also the word huigu, platypleura kaempferi, a kind of bright-colored cicada, and the saying huigu bu zhi chun qiu, the cicada is ignorant of spring or autumn, i.e., limited in experience or vision.
Deep End Dining has a post about cicada soup, including a picture of a big steaming bowl of them.
Here’s a story about oolong tea:
This type of tea, sometimes called “Oriental Beauty Tea” uses green leaf cicadas to suck on the plants before the leaves are harvested and fermented. Not only do the leaves have quite a variety of colors, but the taste of the tea is unique with its fruit and honey flavor.
Got to love those Australian cicada names: Green Grocer, Black Prince, Yellow Monday, Chocolate Soldier, Masked Devil, Blue Moon, Double Drummer, Floury Baker, Cherrynose, Whiskey Drinker, Redeye, Bladder Cicada, Hairy Cicada, Golden Emperor, Eastern Sandgrinder, Brown Bunyip…
Reminiscing about the Brood X emergence of 2004:
Princeton: Bugging the bugs: Students collect data on cicadas.
During the next few weeks — as these “Brood X” cicadas emerge from 17 years of subterranean growth and play out their brief but noisy above-ground mating ritual — Princeton students will investigate a range of questions about how the insects behave and interact with the environment.
Golf: Muirfield the summer home this year for cicadas. Cicadas disrupting pro golfers. (thx b1nge).
“I thought we had some big bugs in Africa, but these things …” Ernie Els said.
Golf: A New York Times article about how the cicadas are making life miserable for pro golfers. Awwww. (thx AJay).
Usually, the biggest problem during the week of the Memorial Tournament is rain. This year, the biggest problem could be insects.
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.
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
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
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
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
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)
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
Date: Thursday, Jun/17/2004
I haven’t seen cicada one where I live. Luke, North Plainfield, NJ
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
Date: Tuesday, Jun/15/2004
Is it possible to preserve cicadas for a couple of years? Jacob Barger, Harford County, MD, USA
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
For pictures see..
Mark Schoof, Ann Arbor, MI
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.
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.
Date: Monday, Jun/14/2004
For pictures see..
Mark Schoof, Ann Arbor, MI
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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,
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
RoomÃs Urban Drive-In is featuring films from 1987 ñ the last time Brood X
walked among us. WeÃre 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 DCJCCÃs parking lot on 16th & Q. Dan, Cicada Mania Headquarters
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
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
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
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
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
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
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! ItÃs strange Michigan is getting them before us!! Ajay what happening by you??
Elias, Queens County, NY
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
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
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.)
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
In 2004 the Brood X emergence in Long Island New York and
New Jersey ranged from disappointing to depressing, with one lone exception: Princeton, New Jersey. Other areas of the country, like
Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C. and Ohio witnessed fantastic emergences.
The truth is the New Jersey and Long Island Brood X populations have been dwindling
for generations. I did not bother to make a New York Brood X t-shirt because I did
not expect an emergence there (I only made a shirt after a dozen or so requests).
So why are Magicicada populations dwindling? Entomologists will study the facts and arrive at an educated answer, but in the meantime, let’s explore the clues to the Magicicada mystery of 2004.
If you listened to the media in the New York/New Jersey area, you would think the Brood X emergence would rival locust plagues promised in the Bible. After many interviews with the press, I believe that they were not guilty of intentionally sensationalizing the emergence. They were fooled like the rest of us: mislead by archaic or misleading brood maps or outdated information on websites. While a site like Cicada Mania can be very informative, to get the most accurate information the media really should contact professional entomologists like Dr. Chris Simon and her associates.
One important detail the press neglected to convey is that Magicicadas do not appear everywhere when they emerge: they only emerge in specific locations.
In any given state in which Magicicadas emerge only a select number of counties and towns will experience cicadas — people in New Jersey assumed that the entire state would be inundated, but this was not the case.
It is also common for cicadas to emerge in vast numbers on one side of a town, while on the other side of town, only a handful will emerge. A new housing development will probably have zero cicadas, while the woods across the road might be chock full of them.
Brood Maps and location tables can be misleading because they often point to a general area. A map or table might say cicadas exist in a particular town, but really they only emerge in two or three very specific locations within that town.
Think back 17 or 34 years (if you’re old enough) and try to remember what your town and state was like back then. New Jersey, for instance, has experienced tremendous increases in population and new housing development. Cicada habitats are destroyed as populations expand and communities sprawl across the landscape. If a population of Magicicadas stands in the way of a Wal-Mart or a neighborhood of McMansions, the cicadas are history.
Homeowners, businesses and the government dump tons of pesticides into the ecosystem every year. West Nile Virus spraying, although necessary, may also have an impact on Magicicada populations. Perhaps all these chemicals have taken their toll on the Magicicadas?
Given the number of Superfund sites in New York and New Jersey (do a search: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/locate/index.htm) I’m surprised anything lives in either state.
Cicadas are fast food for starlings, sparrows, and other predators. In areas were cicada populations are healthy, the birds can’t keep up with the massive buffet of cicadas, and the Brood survives. In areas like Long Island and New Jersey where the cicada populations are weak, birds quickly decimate emerging Brood. European starlings and English sparrows are called an “invasive species” because they are not native to North America. Native insect species, such as cicadas, have not evolved defenses against these invasive species. Likewise, native bird and bat species have not evolved the ability to compete with these newcomers.
Hundreds of years ago the smallpox virus destroyed Native American populations, because Native Americans had not evolved immunities to this dreadful disease. Similarly, an invasive species could destroy many native North American animals and plants.
For more information about invasive species and what you can do about them, visit the Invasive Species Weblog.
The past few springs have been cold and rainy in the Long Island and New Jersey area. Perhaps the weather has delayed the Brood X emergence?
Occasionally Magicicadas will emerge a year or so later than they were supposed to. Perhaps a few Brood X cicadas will emerge next year? Only time will tell.
So what can we do to ensure that Magicicadas will be around for future generations? What can we to do to ensure that the media doesn’t misreport future emergences?
Video of the Brood X emergence in 2004 of Magicicadas in Princeton.
Princeton Brood X 2004 Magicicadas by Dan from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.