17-year periodical cicada Magicicada septendecim from Brood II, New Jersey, 2013. Photo credit: Flickr user Dendroica cerulea
That occurrence is the emergence of millions of cicadas within a brief span of time – a specific group known as Brood X.
Brood X spans the largest geographical area of all the periodical cicada broods, with populations due to emerge as far south as Georgia as early as next week, and as far east as Long Island a couple weeks after – or whenever soil temperatures reach 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Almost all of Indiana and Maryland, and at least some portions of Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, and North Carolina wlll experience Brood X.
In Ohio, the largest concentrations are expected in Defiance, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Logan and Montgomery counties.
USA Today has an excellent summary about these cicadas HERE.
Surprised by that last one? There is no shortage of cicada recipes on the internet!
If you want to learn more, on Thursday April 29 from 7-8pm, tune into a free Zoom webinar hosted by WVXU Cincinnati Public Radio, “What Can We Learn From Cicadas?”. This webinar features Ohio’s own cicada expert, entomologist Dr. Gene Kritsky of Mount St. Joseph University! If you can’t tune in, don’t worry – it will be recorded so you can watch it later. Learn more HERE.
If you have a smartphone, you can help Dr. Kritsky and other scientists track the Brood X emergence and understand these cicadas better by recording your observations with the app Cicada Safari, available through the Apple app store or Google Play.
The Cicada Safari website is loaded with information, resources, and activities about cicadas, and it can be accessed HERE!
Observing the cicada emergence is a great way to get outside this spring and get kids (and adults!) to connect with the natural world. While you’re out looking for cicadas, you can record your observations of the other plants and animals you’ll encounter with iNaturalist and eBird, and contribute to other kinds of community-sourced science projects too!