Here’s something neat. Roy Troutman discovered some Brood XIV Magicicadas emerging 4 years late in Ohio. That’s a “21 year cicada”. :)
Here’s a photo:
The Latest Cicada Happenings from Cicada Mania:
May 11, 2012
May 8, 2012
Look out for Brood II, Brood V and Brood XIX Stragglers
When is a 2012 Magicicada not a Brood I cicada? When it’s a straggler.
A straggler is a periodical cicada that emerges in a year before or after the year they are supposed to emerge. Typically a straggler will emerge one or four years before, or one year after the year they should have emerged. Stragglers from Broods II (due 2013), Brood V (due 2016) and Brood XIX (backin 2011) are or will emerge this year in limited numbers.
Brood II is set to emerge next year in most of central Virginia (as well as CT, MD, NC, NJ, NY, PA), Brood V will emerge in four years in Virginia and West Virginia (as well as OH, PA), and Brood XIX emerged last year in a few areas of Virginia (as well as AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KY, MO, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN).
Stragglers present a challenge for people tracking the Brood I emergence because Brood II, Brood V and Brood XIX stragglers will emerge in the same states as Brood I cicadas. Brood II and Brood V overlap Brood I in some places.
Here is a comparison of the I,II & V Broods. The black dots represent where the cicadas have emerged historically.
Here’s a map of Brood XIX in case you are curious.
Visit Magicicada.org for more information on this phenomena, and report your cicada sightings while you’re there. Credit goes to the Magicicada.org’s Facebook post that reminded me of the stragglers.
April 30, 2012
A Brood I Magicicada Periodical Cicada Primer for the 2012 Emergence
When will they emerge?
They are emerging now. Due to warmer than normal temperatures, Brood I cicadas have started to emerge sooner than expected. Typically, once the soil 8″ below the surface gets to 64 degrees Fahrenheit they will emerge. Cicadas in sunny areas will emerge before cicadas in shady areas.
Where will they emerge?
Historically, Brood I has emerged in counties along the border of the Virginias, including the counties: Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Botetourt, Grant, Page, Pendleton, Rockbridge, and Rockingham. Visit the Magicicada Database Query Page to search historical records, or Magicicada.org to see a live map of the emergence.
Important: Magicicadas won’t emerge everywhere in the counties mentioned above. They might not exist in your town or neighborhood (particularly if there’s lots of new construction, which removes trees). The key to seeing them if they don’t emerge in your neighborhood is communication: networking with friends and family, checking the interactive maps on magicicada.org, checking sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
What you should look for
Look out for cicada chimneys, turrets or holes the diameter of an adult’s finger near the root system of a tree. These are sure signs that cicadas will emerge in the area.
You might discover some cicada nymphs while turning over stones or when performing landscaping chores. They are a golden-brown color, with black coloration in the area behind their heads.
Here is a great video of Magicicada nymphs once they have emerged from the ground:
Magicicada cicada nymph mania from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.
Once cicadas nymphs have emerged from the ground, they will try to find a tree, and then begin the process of exiting their old nymph skins, drying their wings, and changing to their adult coloring. If you have the time, a flash light and a camera you can record this amazing transformation.
What are they?
Magicicada is a genus of periodical cicadas known for emerging in massive numbers in 17 or 13 year cycles/periods. The cicadas emerging in 2012 have 17 year life-cycles. Magicicada are also organized into broods. There are 12 broods of 17 year cicadas, and the brood emerging in 2012 is Brood I (Brood One).
There are 3 species of 17-year Magicicada: M. septendecim (aka “decims”), M. cassini, and M. septendecula. The adults of all three species have black bodies with orange markings, and red-orange eyes.
Perhaps the best way to visually distinguish the adults of the three species is by observing the coloration on their abdomens: M. septendecim have broad orange stripes with more orange than black; M. cassini have black abdomens with virtually no stripes at all; and M. septendecula have stripes that feature as much black as orange. Visit this Magicicada.org species page for detailed information, including photos and audio.
M. septendecim also have an area of orange coloring between the eye and the wing:
Another great what to tell their difference is to listen to their song.
- M. septendecim calling. Sounds like “Pharaoh, Pharaoh!”
- M. cassini calling. Note how it makes quick burst of sound, followed by some rapid clicks.
- M. septendecula calling. Note the “tick, tick, tick, tick” steady rhythm of its call.
Here is some video and audio of 17 year Magicicada. This will give you an idea of what to expect:
Cicada Mania, best of 2007, part 1 by Dan from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.
Cicadas Singing in Princeton in 2004 by cicadamania
Note: some folks call these cicadas “locusts”, but they are not true locusts.
Why?
Why do Magicicadas wait 17 years and why do they emerge in such large numbers? There are many theories why, but the primary reason could be that they’re trying to beat the predators. Since they emerge only once every 17 years, no species can anticipate their emergence (except man), and emerging in large numbers ensures that at least some of them will survive to reproduce. See more about Cicadas and Prime Numbers.
Who?
People have many reactions to Magicicada including: fear, disgust, panic, mild curiosity, fascination, and fanaticism. We hope that YOU will find them fascinating, and get involved by helping to map the emergence, upload your cicada photos and videos to sites like YouTube, Pinterest, and Flickr, and participate in discussions on Twitter and discussion forums like Reddit.
More information:
- Magicicada Frequently Asked Questions
- Are periodical cicadas coming to your town?
- Six Cicada Experiments
- Periodical Cicada Fun Facts
April 23, 2012
The Brood I Cicada Emergence Has Begun
The Brood I Cicada emergence has begun early, as predicted, due to the warm weather in recent weeks. The first Brood I cicadas were spotted in Roanoke, Virginia. See our Cicada Mania Facebook Page for a photo and the person who found them. Unfortunately, the cold weather seems to have hurt the early emerging cicadas.
First we had unnaturally warm weather, causing the cicadas to emerge early, and right when they start to emerge: cold, wet weather. This is bittersweet news.
BTW,
Here’s a list of counties where they should emerge:
Augusta
Bath
Bedford
Botetourt
Grant
Page
Pendleton
Rockbridge
Rockingham
April 1, 2012
Cicadas and Prime Numbers
Last week io9 published an article titled Why do cicadas know prime numbers? The gist of the article is that cicadas developed long, prime numbered, periodical life cycles to avoid gaining a predator that can synch up with the cicadas.
It’s an interesting read, but it’s a little thin on facts and references. Here is part of what the article is missing:
Only seven out of the hundreds of species of cicadas have 13 or 17 year life cycles, and they all belong to the species Magicicada. Three species of cicadas have 17 year life cycles: M. septendecim, M. cassini, and M. septendecula. Four species of cicadas have 13 year life cycles: M. neotredecim, M. tredecim, M. tredecassini and M. tredecula. These are the periodical cicadas Stephen Jay Gould wrote about.
As a proof of the theory, there isn’t a wasp that specifically predates Magicicadas (the genus of cicadas with long, prime-numbered life cycles), but there is a Cicada Killer Wasp that predates Tibicen cicadas, which have shorter life cycles and emerge every year.
The book in which Stephen Jay Gould theorized about prime numbers and periodical cicadas is Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History. You can search through the book in Google Book Search, or just buy a copy (if you’re interested). I think I paid a cent for my copy (used).
Other species of cicadas also have life cycles of a prime number of years, but some do not. A species belonging to the genus Chremistica is known for four-year life cycles, which coincide with the World Cup (association football event). Okanagana rimosa is said to have a 9-year life cycle (and to be proto-periodical).
Not all cicadas are periodical cicadas; the vast majority of cicada species appear every year even though their life cycles are longer than one year.
If you want to delve deeper into the subject of periodical cicadas and prime numbers, search for the paper Evolution of Periodcity in Periodical Cicadas by Nicolas Lehmann-Ziebarth et al.
Notes:
- Cicadas do not incubate underground. Cicada eggs hatch above ground; typically in grooves in the stems of plants created by female cicadas.
- Cicadas rarely sing at night. In rare circumstances, like in the presence of artificial light, they will sing at night. If you hear an insect at night it is likely a cricket or katydid (or frog).
- Here’s another article with a practical application for web design called The Cicada Principle and Why It Matters to Web Designers.
- Mathmatical “locusts” an excellent explanation of the cicadas and prime numbers phenomenon.
March 11, 2012
Is it hot enough for cicadas yet?
Update (4/23): The first Brood I emergence (that we heard of) occurred in Roanoke, Virginia. Unfortunately, the sudden cold, wet weather seems to have hurt the early emerging cicadas.
The rest of this post was originally from March 11th, 2012:
Next week temperatures are forecasted to reach 79°F in the parts of Virginia, where Brood I Magicicadas are expected to emerge this year. That’s hot for March, but is it hot enough for the cicadas? Periodical cicadas typically emerge when the soil 8″ below the surface reaches 64°F. Although temperatures will be in the 70′s all week, that might not be enough to heat the soil to the necessary temperature, but stranger things have happened.
Last year Brood XIX Magicicada started emerging in Abbeville County, South Carolina after only 3 days of temperatures in the 70s.
My guess is temperatures won’t heat the soil enough to launch a full-blown emergence, but a few cicadas will emerge in the warmest and sunniest areas. Keep on the look out. Take photos and video. Report sightings to magicicada.org. Check the Magiciciada database for locations; places like Rockbridge, Page, Botetourt, and Bath counties…
February 26, 2012
December 26, 2011
Brood I cicadas will emerge in Virginia and West Virginia in 2012
The Magicicada periodical cicadas belonging to Brood I (one) will emerge in western Virginia and eastern West Virginia in the spring of 2012. Brood I cicadas have a 17-year life cycle. Three species of periodical cicada will emerge: Magicicada cassini, Magicicada septendecim, and Magicicada septendecula.
Brood I is also called the Blue Ridge brood, because the emergence occurs in the Blue Ridge Highlands area. Brood I has historically emerged along RT 81 in Virginia, parts of George Washington National Forest, Jefferson National Forest, and around the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area in West Virginia. Visit the Brood I page on Magiciada.org for more information and maps.
Get ready…
December 22, 2011
Cicada Christmas Lights
I made cicada Christmas lights using some LED USB Christmas lights, and some plastic cicada whistles from Australia.
CicadaMania Cicada Christmas Lights from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.
November 27, 2011
Cicadas and Christmas
There are a few connections between cicadas and Christmas. Cicadas are typically active around Christmas in the Southern hemisphere. Cicadas are called Christmas Beetles in South Africa. There is also a cicada named the Kobonga Christmas Clanger in Australia (thx David Marshall and Kathy Hill ):
Since Christmas is the time of gift giving, cicada books make great gifts for cicada enthusiasts, young and old. Ebay.com typically has thousands of cicada items, including actual cicadas, as does Etsy. You can buy cicada specimens online as well. And of course there’s a variety of Cicada Mania shirts and mugs to choose from.
I almost forgot the cicada skin Christmas wreath. :)
