Here’s a song titled Seventeen Year Cicadas by George Peter Block, Jr,:
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Cicadas in TV and Movies
I was chatting with John Cooley of Cicadas @ UCONN, and he suggested a list of cicadas heard in TV and Movies — so here it is. If you have any to add, leave them in the comments.
The scene in Star Wars (1977) where C3PO and R2-D2 are walking through the desert.
Around 9 minutes in. It’s less apparent in recent versions of the film, but you can hear it in older versions. Neotibicen tibicen cicadas can be heard in the background.
The scene in Captain Marvel (2019) where Captain Marvel is outside at dusk on the farm
Around 1 hour 11 minutes into the film. You’ll hear a mix of cicadas including a Neotibicen pruinosus and Neotibien linnei.
WandaVision on Disney+
I won’t say which episode, because the series is new, but a cicada prominently appears in at least 2 scenes in the series.
More to come… for now see the comments on Facebook.
Aside from Brood X, what else is happening in terms of Periodical cicadas?
- Expect some early-emerging cicadas from Brood XIV, showing up 4 years early. Brood XIV exists in Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Massachusettes, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia.
- There might be some 1-year stragglers form Brood IX. Brood IX is in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
- There might be some 4-year stragglers from Brood VI. Brood VI is found in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Oklaholma. And Ohio?Brood VI is a weird one.
I was wondering how much an adult Magicicada weighs. According to Richard Karban’s paper “Transient habitats limit development time for periodical cicadas,” a female Magicicada septendecim weighs approximately 1.2 grams. (Karban, R. (2014), Transient habitats limit development time for periodical cicadas. Ecology, 95: 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1518.1)
According to the CDC website, the average adult American human weighs 84051 grams.
That means the average adult weighs as much as 70,043 Magicicada cicadas.
Image unrelated:
Magicicada.org was an amazing website filled with information about Magicicada periodical cicadas and backed by cicada expert, John Cooley.
The site now has a new address and look: Cicadas @ UCONN (https://cicadas.uconn.edu/). Bookmark it in preparation for the 2021 Brood X emergence.
UCONN (University of Connecticut) has other cicada websites such as The Simon Lab and Cicada Central.
Three new species of cicadas have been discovered in Meghalaya, India:
Mata meghalayana, Mata lenonia, and Mata ruffordii.
Photo courtesy of Vivek Sarkar.
Access the paper on Research Gate or Zootaxa Vol 4908, No 1.
Paper title: Description of three new species of the genus Mata Distant, 1906 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadinae: Oncotympanini) with notes on their natural history from the Indian state of Meghalaya, India
Authors: Vivek Sarkar, Cuckoo Mahapatra, Pratyush P. Mohapatra, Manoj V. Nair, Krushnamegh Kunte
Abstract: “Three new species of the Asian genus Mata Distant, 1906 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) viz. Mata lenonia sp.nov.; Mata ruffordii sp.nov. and Mata meghalayana sp.nov. are described from the Indian state of Meghalaya. Keys and taxonomic descriptions of these species are provided with detailed accounts of their natural history and acoustics.”
Brood X emerged in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York (not yet extinct), Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. Report them with the Cicada Safari app. Use the hashtag #BroodX or #BroodXCicadas on social media.
LATEST NEWS:
Enjoy this video from 2021:
12/27/21: Dr. Gene Kritsky’s retrospective on the 2021 Brood X emergence has been published on the America Entomologist website.
In the news:
- NJ.com: Cicadas invade N.J. town where aliens landed in ‘War of the Worlds’.
- New York Times: The Case of the Disappearing Cicadas
- Bloomberg CityLab: To Map Billions of Cicadas, it Takes Thousands of Citizen Scientists
- NJ.com: Big 2021 cicada invasion hasn’t started yet in N.J., but some early cicadas have arrived
- Washington Post: Get ready! We predict cicadas will begin emerging next week.
- c|net: Billions of bugs: Meet the cicada chasers trailing Brood X.
- Fstoppers: Photographers Should Put This on Their Calendar Right Now: The Brood X Cicada Storm in Eastern U.S.
Interesting merch:
- A nice Magicicada pin by Carolyn Belefski
- A Brood X Cicada Notebook for documenting your cicada experiences.
- Cicadas Don’t Scream Activity Book.
- Gene Kritsky’s Periodical Cicadas: The Brood X Edition
- Sue Fink’s Cicada Suite (music) comes with a cicada shaped flash drive.
Articles about Brood X, a retrospective:
- Brood X Magicicada photos by Jim Occi taken in Princeton, set 6
- Brood X Magicicada photos by Jim Occi taken in Princeton, set 5
- Brood X Magicicada photos by Jim Occi taken in Princeton, set 4
- Brood X Magicicada photos by Jim Occi taken in Princeton, set 3
- Magicicada cassinii photos from Brood X
- Examples of flagging from Brood X in Princeton
- Brood X Magicicada photos by Jim Occi, set 2
- Brood X Magicicada Photos by Jim Occi
- Brood X 2021 Princeton, New Jersey
- Brood X in Grover’s Mill, West Windsor & Plainsboro, New Jersey
What, when, where, and why:
What are these cicadas?
Billions of these insects:
- Black, orange and red Cicada insects with a 17-year life cycle.
- Some people call them “locusts” but they’re really cicadas.
- Which species: All three 17-year species, Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini and Magicicada septendecula. How to tell the difference between the species.
- NOT the green ones that arrive annually.
When will these cicadas emerge:
Typically beginning in May and ending in late June. These cicadas will begin to emerge approximately when the soil 8" beneath the ground reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. A nice, warm rain will often trigger an emergence. Back in 2004, people began reporting emergences around May, 13th, but if the weather is warmer, it might start in late April. Update: in 2021, they started in Tennessee on 4/27.
Other tips: these cicadas will emerge after the trees have grown leaves, and, by my own observation, around the same time Iris flowers bloom:
Where will these cicadas emerge:
Cicadas @ UCONN has the most up to date map. If you see a cicada and want to report it, the Cicada Safari App is available for Android and Apple devices .
Here’s my list from 2004. Green highlight means adults have emerged in 2021!
Delaware:
Delaware counties: Kent, New Castle, Sussex.
Delaware places: Newark, Wilmington.
Georgia:
Georgia counties: Gilmer, Murray, Union, White, .
Georgia places: Blairsville, Blue Ridge, Chatsworth, Ellijay, Fort Mountain State Park, Norcross.
Illinois:
Illinois counties: Edgar, Clark, Cook, Crawford, Vermilion.
Illinois places: Marshall, Park Forest, University Park.
Indiana:
Indiana counties: Brown, Clark, Clay, Columbus, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Dubois, Fountain, Gibson, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Lawrence, Marion, Martin, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Orange, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Ripley, Spencer, Sullivan, Vanderburgh, Vigo, Warrick, Waveland, Washington.
Indiana places: Aurora, Bloomington, Brookville, Clinton Falls, Dillsboro, Fishers, French Lick, Henryville, Indianapolis, Lawrenceburg, Lexington, Martinsville, McCormick’s Creek State Park, Nashville, New Pelkin, North Vernon, Salem, Skiles Test Park, Spencer.
Kentucky:
Kentucky counties: Boone, Breckenridge, Bullitt, Carroll, Daviess, Gallatin, Grayson, Hardin, Henry, Jefferson, Livingston, La Rue, McLean, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Ohio, Oldham, Trimble.
Kentucky places: Big Bone Lick State Park, Covington, Dayton, Dry Ridge, Eastview, Florence, Ft. Thomas, Georgetown, Grand Rivers, Hebron, Highland Heights, Louisville, Newport, Villa Hills.
Maryland:
Maryland counties: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince Georges, Washington.
Maryland places: Abingdon, Annapolis, Aspen Hill, Baltimore (learn about the Baltimore Cicada Art project), Bel Air, Beltsville, Berwyn Heights, Bethesda, Bowie, Brooklandville, Brooklyn Park, Catonsville, Chevy Chase, Clarksville, Clinton, Colesville, College Park, Columbia, Cockeysville, Crofton, Cumberland, District Heights, Eldersburg, Elkridge, Elkton, Ellicott City, Fair Hill, Fallston, Forestville, Four Corners, Gaithersburg, Gambrills, Germantown, Glen Burnie, Glenelg, Greenbelt, Gwynn Oak, Hagerstown, Hanover, Havre De Grace, Hillcrest Heights, Hunt Valley, Hyattsville, Hydes, Jessup, Kensington, Landover Hills, Laurel, Linthicum, Loch Raven watershed, Lutherville, Odenton, Oella, Onley, Owings Mills, Pikesville, Potomac, Randallstown, Reisterstown, Riverdale, Rockville, Severna Park, Sharpsburg, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Timonium, Towson, Travilah, Wheaton, Woodbine.
Want a FREE cicada book? In the DC area? Visit Lulu Florist, 4801 St. Elmo Ave., Bethesda, MD, and ask for a free copy of Cicada: Exotic Views by Davy Shian.
Michigan:
Michigan counties: Hillsdale, Washtenaw.
Michigan places: Ann Arbor, Canton, Quincy.
New Jersey:
New Jersey counties: Burlington, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Salem, Somerset, Warren.
New Jersey places: Alexandria, Allerton, Annandale, Asbury, Belle Mead, Bethlehem Township, Berkeley Heights, Bloomsbury, Browns Mills, Carpentersville, Clinton, Clinton Township, Cranbury, Delaware Township, East Amwell Township, Flemington, Franklin Park, Franklin Township (Somerset), Franklin Township (Warren), Frenchtown, Greenwich Township, Grover’s Mill, Hampton, Harmony, Hillsborough Township, Holland Township, Hopewell Township, Kendall Park, Kingston, Kingwood Township, Lambertville, Lawrence, Lebanon, Merrill Creek Reservoir, Milford, Montgomery, Monmouth Junction, Morristown, Mt. Rose, Pennington, Perryville, Phillipsburg, Plainsboro Township, Pittstown, Pohatcong Township, Princeton, Princeton Junction, Princeton Meadows, Prallsville, Raritan Township, Raven Rock, Readington Township, Ringoes, Rosemont, Rocky Hill, Skillman, Sourland Mountain, South Brunswick Township, Stanton, Stewartsville, Stockton, Union Township (Hunterdon), Voorhees Corner, West Windsor Township.
There’s an abundance of large parks and natural areas around Princeton.
New York (Long Island):
New York counties: Suffolk (but extinct, or nearly so, but still look for them – Newsday article).
New York places: All on Long Island, but based on the 2004 emergence, they might be extinct. Some were seen in East Setauket, Connetquot River State Park, Ronkonkoma, Stony Brook. In 1987 they were seen in Shirley, Ronkonkoma, Bohemia, Connetquot River State Park, Oakdale, and Setauket.
In Long Island? Please read this article!.
North Carolina:
North Carolina counties: Buncombe, Cherokee, Surry, Wilkes.
North Carolina places: Apex, Elkin, Morganton, Murphy, Roaring River, Weaverville.
Ohio:
Ohio counties: Butler, Clermont, Defiance, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Logan, Montgomery.
Ohio places: Amelia, Anderson Twp, Battelle Darby Park, Batavia, Bellbrook, Camden, Centerville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Defiance, Delaware, Delhi Twp, Dublin, Fairfield, Galloway, Hamilton, Kettering, Lewisburg, Lockland, Miamisburg, Olmsted Falls, Oxford, Paint Creek State Park, Springfield, St. Bernard, West Carrollton, West Chester.
Pennsylvania:
Pennsylvania counties: Adams, Bedford, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Columbia, County, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Schuylkill, Somerset, York.
Pennsylvania places:Archbald, Artemas, Bedford, Carroll Valley, Coopersburg, Dinosaur Rock, Downingtown, Erwinna, Gettysburg, Green Lane, Kintnersville, Lake Nockamixon, Lancaster, Lititz, Lumberville, Malvern, Mertztown, Metal Township, Mohnton, Mt Gretna, New Hope, Oaks, Oley, Perkasie, Perkiomenville, Phoenixville, Pipersville, Pittston, Plumstead Township, Point Pleasant, Quakertown, Red Lion, Roaring Spring, Solebury Township, Spring Mount, Stewartstown, Tinicum Township, Topton, Uhlerstown, Upper Black Eddy, Warwick Park, Williams Township.
Special note for folks in the Philly area: Is Philly Being Snubbed Again?.
Tennessee:
Tennessee counties: Blount, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, Polk, Roane, Sumner, Washtington, Wilson.
Tennessee places: Benton, Copperhill, Farragut, Fayetteville, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Powell, Signal Mountain.
Virginia:
Virginia counties: Arlington, Clarke, County, Dulles Smithsonian National Aircraft and Space Museum, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Shenandoah, Warren, Winchester.
Virginia places: Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Ashburn, Centreville, Chantilly, Clearbrook, Del Ray, Doswell, Dunn Loring, Fairfax, Falls Church, Franconia, Gore, Hampton Roads, Haymarket, Herndon, Lorton, Lovettsville, Manassas, McLean, Merrifield, Oakton, Reston, Springfield, Sterling, Vienna, White Post, Winchester.
West Virginia:
West Virginia counties: Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan.
West Virginia places: Inwood, Martinsburg, New Creek, Paw Paw.
Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. places: Washington D.C.
Want a FREE cicada book? In the DC area? Visit Lulu Florist, 4801 St. Elmo Ave., Bethesda, MD, and ask for a free copy of Cicada: Exotic Views by Davy Shian.
More Location Tips:
- Reports of Brood X cicadas that emerged early in 2017.
- City data comes from May 2004 reports and June 2004 reports.
- Not sure? Ask someone in your community who lived there 17 years ago.
Example Emergence Timeline
This is an example of a typical cicada emergence. The exact dates will depend on the weather and density of the emergence in your location. Hot weather means an early start and quicker finish to the season — cool weather means a later start, and a protracted season.
Here’s an Excel version of the chart. Feel free to use it and adjust it to match your experience.
Or watch the video version:
Some interesting things to look for
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Lean why many cicada wings are striveled up or damaged. |
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Learn about the Massospora cicadina fungus they share. |
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Look for cicadas with blue, white or other colored eyes. |
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Look for Mosaic pigment disorders. |
Why do cicadas:
Why do they stay underground for 17-years? The prevailing research suggests they’ve evolved a long, 17-year lifecycle to avoid predators that can sync up with their lifecycle & emergence. Why are there so many?! Research suggests that their huge numbers allow them to overwhelm predators, so enough of them will live on to breed and perpetuate the brood.
Should you plant?
If you’re planting trees, wait until July. If your yard doesn’t get cicadas by the first week of June, it’s probably safe to plant in June. It’s the egg-laying that does damage. Talk to an arborist or tree expert if you’re actually concerned. I can’t answer your questions.
More facts and fun:
- New! Cicada Mania Crossword Puzzle. It isn’t easy.
- New! Cicada Mania Bingo!
- Use the correct image and the correct language when talking about these cicadas. Here’s some images you can share.
- Use the Periodical Cicada Emergence Checklist for the Maximum Magicicada Experience.
- All cicada questions that are frequently asked.
- A video to help you tell the difference between the species.
- The 17 Most Interesting Periodical cicada facts.
1907 Map from Marlatt, C.L.. 1907. The periodical cicada. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology.
Things have changed since 1907. See the modern UConn Cicada Map, or the Live Map from the Cicada Safari app.
Leave a comment below, or join the Cicada Discussion & Science Group on Facebook.
The Philacicada Society existed for a brief time (to my knowledge) in the 1990s. There was at least one mail (NOT email) newsletter (I’ll eventually photocopy it).
The information here is over 20 years old — don’t try to join. 🙂
Here’s the original information:
I’m excited to announce the formation of the Philacicada Society. Cicada maniacs, please read on! (Special thanks to Dr. Ivan Huber and Charles Remington.)
“The huge scientific and public enthusiasm for Magicicada Brood II this year included some queries about a simple organization (and newsletter) devoted toMagicicada and perhaps other cicadas (around 4,000 species are known worldwide).In response, I agreed to do some initial organizational work, and Professor IvanHuber, of Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, volunteered to edit a cicada newsletter.”
“You are hereby invited to become a charter member of this relatively informal society. You will join by sending to Treasurer Kritsky $5.00 as dues, to cover any minimal expenses.”
“The Newsletter would be perhaps quarterly and would contain anything appropriate, certainly including:”
- suggestions for observations and experiments
- brief reports of interesting findings (full scientific papers to be published of course in the usual formal journals)
- suggestions and plans for producing greatly needed book(s) on cicadas for the respected “intelligent layman”, including children, and for the entomological world (maybe a rush Magicicada Manual with a few different specialists doing different chapters); Gene Kritsky, Tom Moore, and Monte Lloydhave books moving toward publication; Magicicadais arguably the most biologically remarkable insect (even animal or organism?) in the world; the superb new Williams & Simon review is a basic reference and bibliography
- requests for research help — livestock, etc.
- planning for observing forthcoming hatches– Brood III, IV, etc.
“To emphasize a serious commitment to the Society and to organize mutual input, there is a need for informal charter officers and directors. I took the liberty of asking leading Magicicada workers to serve on such a Board, and they agreed. Sucha Board is as follows:
Chairman: Chris Simon
Treasurer: Gene R. Kritsky
Editor: Ivan HuberDirectors:
James & Maxine Health
Edward Johnson
Richard Karban
Monte Lloyd
Chris T. Maier
Thomas E. Moore
Charles L. Remington
Allen F. Sanborn
Kimberly G. Smith
Kathy S. WilliamsIn the future, more formality may be wanted in choosing officers and directors, including some cicada workers outside the U.S.A.
Please send Gene Kritsky names and addresses of possible members, to be circularized.
Cordially,
Charles RemingtonHere is the form for joining the society. Print it out and mail it in.
Here’s something I wrote in 1996 to chronicle the Brood II cicada emergence in 1996. It’s probably meant to be semi-humorous.
Dan’s Cicada Diary for 1996.
Sunday, May 19th: Metuchen, New Jersey; I found the first desiccated cicada nymph exoskeleton on my patio. My cat disappears.
Tuesday, May 21st: I found about 40 nymph exoskeletons on my patio, a pine tree, and a maple tree. I also spotted an adult climbing the maple and two crippled adults rolling about the base of the tree.
Wednesday, May 22nd: Bonanza! I found about 500 adults perched on just about everything in my yard: trees, patio furniture, the foundation of my home, the garden hose, garbage cans, the missing cat’s water dish, my hair…just plain everywhere! Gruesome!
Saturday, May 25th: Avenel, New Jersey; Party at the Ritzow’s. Literally, hundreds of adult cicadas perched high above in oak trees sneer at decadent humans sipping martini’s, playing croquet. Bourgeois homo sapiens…bah humbug!
Thursday, May 30th: Metuchen, New Jersey; Still no sign of the cat. Sitting outside on my patio around 8:30 pm I hear a “snap”, “crackle” and “popping” sound. Rice Crispies? No. More like cicadas nymphs crawling out of their holes and onto my garden wall to molt into adulthood. Not the loveliest sight.
Saturday, June 1st: Westfield, New Jersey; Dave Wilson and Claire Adas’ wedding. A beautiful ceremony and reception, with the exception of the 9000 uninvited cicadas: crawling up people’s legs, crunching underfoot, landing in refreshments…a moment to cherish and remember!
Tuesday, June 4th: North Edison, New Jersey; The cicadas have begun to sing! All together they sound like a Boeing 767 is circling 40 feet overhead. The sound is that awesome. 10 inch deep piles of dying post-coitus adults litter the base of trees. The invasion has only begun!
Wednesday, June 5th – Monday, June 17th: Metuchen, North Edison, Colonia, Avenel, New Jersey; The invasion is in full effect! Homeowners in North Edison and Colonia report having to haul away the dying bodies of cicadas inwheelbarrows! Residents describe the cicadas’ combined mating screams as “loud as a UFO” [how do they know what a UFO sounds like?] and “like a Mack Truck was floating ten foot above your head”! Someone even told me cicadas taste like shrimp! I guess they made the best of a bad situation.
Wednesday, June 26th: Metuchen, New Jersey; It appears the invasion is over. All that remains is the dismembered, rotting corpses and the memories, sweet, sweet, memories. But remember, They’ll be back…in the year 2013!
Saturday, August 3rd: Metuchen, New Jersey; Looking out my second-story window I can clearly see the damage done by the 17-year cicadas. Brown patches of dead leaves speckle local oak and maple trees, revealing the branches where the female cicada has chosen to lay her eggs; an interesting “natural disaster”, but, not as heart-breaking as an earthquake or a flood. Clearly, the most provocative news regarding cicadas is the current hatch of annual cicadas, which are larger than the “17-year” cicadas (thoroughly illustrated within this web page) and greener. Another dissimilarity is the difference in their respective mating calls: while the “17-year” cicada makes a whirring sound somewhere between the motor of a vacuum cleaner and a car alarm, the “annual” cicada sounds more like a lawn sprinkler or maybe a sewing machine. Although I can clearly hear hundreds of “annual” cicadas and I have found their shells, I haven’t visually located a single one! Another cicada-related event has been the recent hatch of “cicada killer” wasps. These two-inch long giant wasps only prey upon, our friend, the defenseless cicada. I haven’t located these creatures either, but, they are definitely out there. Cicadas beware!
Wednesday, August 26th: Metuchen, New Jersey; the Tibicen cicadas continue to sing…
Wednesday, November 6th: Metuchen, New Jersey; they are all dead or sucking on roots underground.
This is from my “Cicada Humor” page from 1996-1997. It’s semi-humorous. For serious information visit the facts-only 17-year cicada page.
The 17-Year Cicada
Every 17 years a fearsome biological monstrosity drags its way to the surface of the earth. It comes only to mate and spawn; however, it imparts terror and disgust in the hearts and minds of every man, woman, child, and beast unfortunate enough to cross its path. This is no Hollywood fantasy, ladies and gentlemen, this creature is real, horribly real! Cast your trembling eyes upon mother nature’s most disturbing insectoid aberration…T
The Cicada a.k.a. “The 17-Year Locust”
July 17th, 1997
Seriously, folks, the cicada isn’t a locust, it’s, well, a cicada (a member of the Homoptera order of insects). These charming creatures are best known for their intense mating call, which sounds more or less like a lawn sprinkler, or a miniature AH-64 Apache Black Helicopter. When 10,000 or so of these suckers start screaming in your neighborhood you’ll think you’re in the middle of Apocalypse Now. Nowisthe time! Depending on where you live, these heinous herbivores should be dive-bombing your friends and family any day now.
Actually, they are more likely tofallout of a tree thanfly, but, rest assured, they will be landing somewhere on your body sometime soon.
Ilive in central New Jersey and right now we are up to our mandibles in a plague of these sap slurping oddities. Some breeds, including the green/yellow striped cicadas, rear their ugly heads every year, but, fortunately not in great numbers. The “periodic”, black-bodied, red-eyed, spawn of Beelzebub cicadas only present themselves once every 17 years;unfortunately,there are literally millions of them. Worst of all, they have a face, just like you or me!
Periodic cicadas live to be 17 years old (13 years in southern states), which means they’re the only insect that qualifies for a driver’s license in New Jersey. Actually, these creatures only spend two to four weeks of their lives as an adult. They spend the first 17 years underground sucking on roots! Exciting! Once the adults have mated, the female drills a hole in a tree branch with her butt (technically her ovipositor) and lays her eggs. The eggs soon hatch and the “nymphs” fall to the ground where they feed on root sap. As soon as the adults mate they croak and drop to the ground where they will decay and stink. If I were you I wouldn’t hang out under any trees this year. In the end, your best offense will be a shovel and a bucket, or, a hungry golden retriever.
Dan’s Cicada Diary for 1996
- Sunday, May 19th: Metuchen, New Jersey; I found the first desiccated cicada nymph exoskeleton on my patio. My cat disappears.
- Tuesday, May 21st: I found about 40 nymph exoskeletons on my patio, a pine tree and a maple tree. I also spotted an adult climbing the maple and two crippled adults rolling about the base of the tree.
- Wednesday, May 22nd: Bonanza! I found about 500 adults perched on just about everything in my yard: trees, patio furniture, the foundation of my home, the garden hose, garbage cans, the missing cat’s water dish, my hair…just plain everywhere! Gruesome!
- Saturday, May 25th: Avenel, New Jersey; Party at the Ritzow’s. Literally hundreds of adult cicadas perched high above in oak trees sneer at decadent humans sipping martini’s, playing croquet. Bourgeois homosapiens…bah humbug!
- Thursday, May 30th: Metuchen, New Jersey; Still no sign of the cat. Sitting outside on my patio around 8:30pm I hear a “snap”, “crackle” and “popping” sound. Rice Crispies? No. More like cicadas nymphs crawling out of their holes and on to my garden wall to molt into adult hood. Not the loveliest sight.
- Saturday, June 1st: Westfield, New Jersey; Dave Wilson and Claire Adas’ wedding. A beautiful ceremony and reception, with the exception of the 9000 uninvited cicadas: crawling up peoples legs, crunching underfoot, landing in refreshments…a moment to cherish and remember!
- Tuesday, June 4th: North Edison, New Jersey; The cicadas have begun to sing! All together they sound like a Boeing 767 is circling 40 feet overhead. The sound is that awesome. 10 inch deep piles of dying post coitus adults litter the base of trees. The invasion has only begun!
- Wednesday, June 5th – Monday, June 17th: Metuchen, North Edison, Colonia, Avenel, New Jersey; The invasion is in full effect! Home owners in North Edison and Colonia report having to haul away the dying bodies of cicadas in wheelbarrows! Residents describe the cicadas’ combined mating screams as “loud as a UFO” [how do they know what a UFO sounds like?] and “like a Mack Truck was floating ten foot above your head”! Someone even told me cicadas taste like shrimp! I guess they made the best of a bad situation.
- Wednesday, June 26th: Metuchen, New Jersey; It appears the invasion is over. All that remains is the dismembered, rotting corpses and the memories, sweet, sweet, memories. But remember, They’ll be back…in the year 2013!
- Saturday, August 3rd: Metuchen, New Jersey; Looking out my second story window I can clearly see the damage done by the 17-year cicadas. Brown patches of dead leaves speckle local oak and maple trees, revealing the branches where the female cicada has chosen to lay her eggs; an interesting “natural disaster”, but, not as heart-breaking as an earth quake or a flood. Clearly the most provocative news regarding cicadas is the current hatch of annual cicadas, which are larger than the “17-year” cicadas (thoroughly illustrated within this web page) and greener. Another dissimilarity is the difference in their respective mating calls: while the “17-year” cicada makes a whirring sound somewhere between the motor of a vacuum cleaner and a car alarm, the “annual” cicada sounds more like a lawn sprinkler or maybe a sewing machine. Although I can clearly hear hundreds of “annual” cicadas and I have found their shells, I haven’t visually located a single one ! Another cicada related event has been the recent hatch of “cicada killer” wasps. These two-inch long giant wasps only prey upon, our friend, the defenseless cicada. I haven’t located these creatures either, but, they are definitely out there. Cicadas beware!
- Wednesday, August 26th: Metuchen, New Jersey; the Tibicen cicadas continue to sing…
- Wednesday, November 6th: Metuchen, New Jersey; they are all dead or sucking on roots underground.
Cute names for the not so cute Cicada
- Flying cigar butts
- Flying turds
- The harbingers of apocalypse
- Impromptu doggie treats, hors d’oeuvres, missing Monopoly piece, etc…
- Sky Fudge
- Satan’s Parakeets
- Living hair curlers
- The name of an annoying acquaintance (example: “Blitzers”)
- Tree roaches
- Airbourne car alarms
- Sleeping bag buddies