The Cicadas are coming!

I

ilovepaydays

Well-Known Member
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Washington Post article
USA Today article
EarthSky article

😱

After hiding for 17 years, The Brood X cicadas are expected to reemerge in the eastern U.S. - particularly from Indiana through Pennsylvania and Virginia - sometime between now and mid May. And they are expected to roam around for around 4-6 weeks before going back into hiding again.

There are thousands of breeds of cicadas around the world, but this obnoxious 17 year breed is unique to North America.

Billions of cicadas are expected - they are harmless but they are expected to be very huge and loud (80 to 100 decimals).

So I decided to start a thread for those of us in the USA who will be seeing (and hearing) these creatures very soon! 😱
 
I don't miss that sound as an adult. As a kid we thought it was so much fun to collect their skins from the trees after they molted. We had competitions to see who could collect the most.
 
The skins are one thing, but bugs that big... UGH, NO!! I am very happy that Rhode Island is not expected to have them, according to the map in the USA Today story. But thanks for the heads up.
 
What I don't understand is I never experienced this even though I lived in the East (including PA and IN) for almost 25 years. So I looked it up and in 1962, they were in our state but I was 5 and probably just don't remember it. They were also there in 1979 so I'm not sure why I don't remember that. I was 22 by then!
 
I remember freaking out at the thought 2 cycles ago, but I never saw them that year. I was told that because the subdivision where I lived was newer, relatively speaking, the cicadas weren't there anymore. Other older suburban areas got them more than we did.

The last cycle, again I didn't see them by my home (which was a different home from the prior). I saw them at a friend's home (even took a pretty good picture of one of them), but once again I was lucky.

Wondering what this cycle will bring. My condo building is only 11 years old, but the land around it may be harboring these little suckers.
 
Another cool thing about cicadas is that they sound different in different areas. We have cicadas every summer, of course, and are used to the pitch and tone of ours. In 2009 I remember it was also a big year for cicadas - we travelled to Michigan, and the cicadas made a slightly different noise. And then when we got to Iowa, they were different again. My Michigan brother can’t hear them, he has some hearing issues and he can’t hear the frequency they chirp at.

We also seem to be hearing the spring peepers a bit earlier and louder a
than usual this year roo.
 
www.cbsnews.com

Brood X cicadas emerge after 17 years to swarm the Northeast (Warning: Graphic images)

The 2021 emergence of billions of cicadas has America buzzing — and snapping some amazing photos
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com

earther.gizmodo.com

How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Cicadas

I’ve been anxious about the Brood X cicadas re-emergence for months, concerned that they’ll ruin the joy of the outdoors in early summer. I felt pretty sheepish about these feelings when talking with Gene Kritzky, a renowned periodical cicada expert.
earther.gizmodo.com earther.gizmodo.com

Join Cicada Safari to help map the 2021 emergence of the periodical cicada Brood X. Simply download the free app from the Apple app store or Google play, then go on a safari to find periodical cicadas. Photograph and submit the periodical cicadas to Cicada Safari, and after the photos are verified, they will be posted to the live map. Cicada Safari was created by Dr. Gene Kritsky working with the Center for IT Engagement at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati.
Click to expand...
Another resource: https://cicadas.uconn.edu/
 
I haven't seen the Cicadas around here yet. Back around mid-April, I did see hundreds of Dragonflies flying around in my yard. I was going to my mailbox that day, and about five of them landed on my arm and my walker. My brother called me later that day, and told me there were hundreds of Dragonflies at our pasture, too.

Now I don't mind that at all because Dragonflies eat mosquitos. I found these facts about Dragonflies. One Dragonfly can actually eat 30 to hundreds of mosquitos in one day.

www.smithsonianmag.com

14 Fun Facts About Dragonflies, From Their Lethal Hunting Prowess to Incredible Migratory Feats

The colorful insects can help humans by eating mosquitoes and will gather in mysterious swarms
www.smithsonianmag.com www.smithsonianmag.com
 
mpal2 said:
As a kid we thought it was so much fun to collect their skins from the trees after they molted.
Click to expand...
I just mentioned that yesterday. I actually touched those things? And the mean boy in the neighborhood used to throw them at us. And that we had to wear shoes running around so we didn't step on them in bare feet. They were even all over the sidewalks of the "shopping center" (Kroger, Revco, laundromat, sundry store, bakery, etc.) and would try to fly in the doors. The only other time I remember even noticing them would have been 17 years ago when they were all over library park at the Spring Fling. We couldn't sit under the trees to eat or listen to music. And they were landing on the arts and crafts things. My neighborhood had lots of trees and I don't remember them at my house. I hear them normally every summer here. There are FB posts of the sound where there are a bunch of trees. I heard them pretty loud yesterday afternoon when I looked out the bedroom window. My cousin in Cincinnati's back yard backs up to Winton Woods, and they have tons. She wrote that her dog tried to eat one.
 
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The biggest issue that I have at the moment is the fact that there are people who eat cicadas. We're currently in a p*ndemic that may or may not have originated from a wildlife meat market and no one thinks that it might be a good idea to prohibt collecting animals that have been underground for 17 years and selling them? (Also, you have to jump through a gazillion hoops to get a food license but, apparently, when you have one you can just collect them and sell them).
 
When I lived in Cincinnati, the biggest issue that I remember was the huge smear that they made on my car's windshield. It didn't come off easily (it smeared with your wipers) and was especially hard to get off it it dried. What a mess if you hit more than a few!
 
VIDEO:
www.bbc.com

Cicadas: The US chef cooking up the insect 'flavour bombs'

Billions of cicadas have emerged in the US and Brooklyn cook Joseph Yoon is making good use of them.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

www.newsweek.com

What To Know About Eating Cicadas As Trillions of Bugs To Emerge in U.S.

The imminent cicada uprising won't just be a chance to see a rare sight—but an opportunity to enjoy a rare snack.
www.newsweek.com www.newsweek.com
Considering trying out the delicacy? If so, Jenna Jadin, a Ph.D. evolutionary biologist and author of Cicada-licious, told Newsweek there are key things to know before eating the bugs, and gave some handy tips about the best ways you can cook the insects.
Can you eat the Brood X cicadas?
"Absolutely. However, there are a few things to keep in mind if you eat them. Depending on where they lived for the past 17 years, they may have absorbed lots of chemicals.
"If they emerge from your yard and you put fertilizer or pesticide on your yard, or on your trees they may be feeding from, it is entirely possible that they could have absorbed some of these chemicals. If you eat them, you want to ensure they are 'organic.'
Click to expand...
 
I heard them this morning for the first time, while was taking my walk. It actually sounded like they were in the state park next to my development. I don’t think there are any on my block or nearby streets; I don’t think we have the right trees for them.
 
ilovepaydays said:
Meanwhile, in the DC area - the cicadas are so thick that they are getting picked up by the weather radar! 😯
Click to expand...
Humidity is rising (mmm rising)
Barometer's getting low (How low, girl?) (uh-oh)
According to all sources (What sources, now?)
The street's no place to go (We'd better hurry up)
Cause tonight for the first time
No need for shrugs
For the first time in history
It's gonna start raining bugs! (Start raining bugs)

It's raining bugs! How peculiar!
It's raining bugs! Oh, fugs!
I'm gonna say home, not run and let myself get
Absolutely soaking wet!

It's raining bugs! Hallelujah!
It's raining men! Every specimen!
Raining cicadas by the trillion
Loud and proud, bulging eyes of vermilion!

It's raining bugs! How peculiar!
It's raining bugs! It's raining bugs!

☂️​
 
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There are no cicadas in the burg, so I had kind of forgotten they existed until today. I went to visit a friend a few miles down the highway. One minute it was quiet; the next minute, my car was bombarded with splats and my ears were assaulted with that shrill noise.

Yech.
 
Keep your car windows closed!
www.npr.org

Police Say A Cicada Is Responsible For A Car Crash In Ohio

A cicada flew into a driver's face in Cincinnati Monday evening, causing them to crash and total their car, according to the Cincinnati Police Department.
www.npr.org www.npr.org
Cincinnati police said a cicada is responsible for a single-car crash in the city's East End neighborhood Monday evening. While the driver sustained only minor injuries, the cicada was not as fortunate, and was found dead on the car's floorboard.
The cicada flew through an open window and hit the driver's face, causing them to crash into a utility pole and total the car, according to a tweet by the Cincinnati Police Department.
Click to expand...
 
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