Adult supervision required:

Just when you thought cicadas couldn’t possibly be any more awesome along comes cicada themed fireworks! If there’s one thing I like as much as cicadas, it’s fireworks. Check out these this photo of “chirping cicada fireworks” Roy sent me. Awesome!!!

Read more about them on PyroReview.com.

Michael Jimms sent us this photo of a blue eyed Magicicada:

Michael won the last button in the blue/white/gray eyed cicada category.

Congratulations to all the winners. There are still prizes left in the contest: for Multi Colored Eyed cicadas, and for an emerging nymph with white eyes. Good luck.

A creamy white eyed cicada from Morton Grove by Judy Thorpe:

And…

A true-blue eyed cicada from Western Springs by Matt Weiss:

2007 was a very busy year for cicadas in the Midwest. The Brood XIII Magicicada periodic cicadas emerged much to everyone’s joy (or disgust). Magicicadas aren’t the only cicadas emerging in North America this year, in fact, there are many types of cicadas that emerge in North America every year all over North America.

The Tibicen is the genus of annual cicada most people are familiar with.

Here are some general details about Tibicen:

• They emerge every summer. They do not emerge in broods.
• They emerge in small numbers (small relative to periodical cicadas).
• They are timid and elusive compared to periodical cicadas.
• Most are physically larger than periodical cicadas.
• They are well camouflaged: their colors and patterns of colors help to hide them in their surroundings. They look like little military vehicles, IMHO.
• Colloquial names for Tibicens: August Dry Birds, Dog Day cicadas, Harvest Flies, Jar Flies, Bush Cicada (Tibicen dorsata)

Some cool Tibicen posts and pages you should check out:

• Cicada researcher Kathy Hill’s photo of 18 different Tibicen species.
• It is possible to identify Tibicen just after they have molted: a visual tool to identify freshly molted Tibicens by Paul Krombholz
• Tibicen anatomy page (offsite link).
• Macro videos of a Tibicen by Roy Troutman
• My Tibicen photos, including Marvin, the CicadaMania mascot.
• All Tibicen posts on this website.
• All Tibicen galleries.

A brand new image from Roy Troutman:

Cicadas, particularly Magicicadas, can become infected with a fungal disease called Massospora cicadina. Believe it or not, it’s an STD.

Here’s a video from ‘91 showing a cicada suffering the affliction taken by Roy Troutman.

Here’s a white eyed cicada from Grayson Martin.

We got our first IOWA sighting!

Questions:

1. When will they be gone??? About 2 weeks after the last one emerges. By the time Independence day rolls around, most places will be “liberated” from them.
2. What’s that smell??? Like any rotting animal, cicadas emit a funky stank after they die. I think they smell like old bacon grease, other’s say Limburger cheese, wet dog…
3. I haven’t seen any cicadas yet, does that mean I won’t see/hear any? Probably; time to get in the car and go to them.

Locations:

• Cedar River near Atalissa, Iowa
• Lombard and Elmhurst are “cicada heaven”
• At Lake Geneva at Aurora University the Cicada were EVERYWHERE
• Singing in Wheaton
• Palos Heights is crawling with these things.
• All over the place in Wheeling, IL
• EVERYWHERE in Schiller Park
• Big Foot Beach State Park (southern Wisconsin next to Lake Geneva)
• Aurora,IL

Video:

Cicadas Emerging at night:

Speaking of video, I just updated the video page with some classics. Check it out!

This entry was submitted by Elias Bonaros and Barbara Rzeszutek, taken in Deerfield, IL: Click the image for a larger version — do it!

This entry was submitted by Chris Owen, taken at Lemon Lake County Park in Cedar lake, IN:

Click the images for larger versions:

Mating cicadas:

A female cicada getting ready to lay some eggs:

Sorry I haven’t posted lately — I moved into a new place and I don’t get interweb service until 6/23. :(

Recommended by Roy: 17 Years Later, the Insect Hoard Returns.

Did I post this yet?