After hiding underground for the last 17 years, billions of cicadas are taking to the skies this summer. This batch of insects, known as Brood XIV, will cover more of the U.S. than any other 17-year brood. New York and at least 13 other states – Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and parts of Indiana are being serenaded by the sound of cicadas in May and June.
There are 15 broods of periodical cicadas that emerge every 13 or 17 years. They come out when soil temperatures reach 64 degrees. Around the world there are annual cicadas while periodical cicadas can only be found in the eastern United States.
Once the insects emerge, they will issue their noisy, chirping mating calls for just a few weeks before they lay eggs and die. The offspring from the eggs will burrow underground and remain dormant or in the nymph stage feeding on tree roots for another 17 years. Surfacing in vast numbers is a way to overwhelm predators and ensure that at least some cicadas survive to reproduce.
The emergence of these insects provides a bounty of food to squirrels, lizards, birds, and other creatures. A study found that once cicadas emerge, the population of cuckoos, blue jays, and red-bellied woodpeckers grows.
As the climate changes, the timing of cicada cycles may also change. Warmer weather will lead to cicadas emerging earlier in the year. Eventually, even the time they spend underground may shorten.
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After 17 Years Underground, Massive Cicada Brood to Swarm U.S.
Photo, posted July 16, 2017, courtesy of Renee Grayson via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
