White Eyed cicada found by Melissa Ham in Nashville TN. Brood XIX. 2011.
March 19, 2020
White-eyed cicada from Serena Cochrane of Gerald, MO
White-eyed cicada from Serena Cochrane of Gerald, MO. Brood XIX. 2011.
White-eyed Magicicada from Meagan Lang of Nashville, TN
White-eyed Magicicada from Meagan Lang of Nashville, TN. Brood XIX. 2011.
White eyed Magicicada from Joey Simmons of Nashville, TN
White eyed Magicicada from Joey Simmons of Nashville, TN. Brood XIX. 2011.
Brood XIX Magicicada photos from North Eastern Arkansas taken by David Green
Brood XIX Magicicada tredecassini photos from North Eastern Arkansas taken by David Green. 2011.
Black-eyed Magicicada by Hester Bass
Black-eyed Magicicada by Hester Bass. Brood XIX. 2011.
March 16, 2020
Brood XIX stragglers in NC, 2010
Magicicada tredecassini by Lenny Lampel Natural Resources Coordinator Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Charlotte, NC. 2010.
Magicicada tredecassini (abdomen), Lower McAlpine Greenway 051010 (by Lenny Lampel):
Magicicada tredecassini, Lower McAlpine Greenway 051010 (by Lenny Lampel):
Magicicada tredecassini exuvia, Lower McAlpine Greenway 051010 (by Lenny Lampel):
Magicicada tredecassini exuvia on spicebush, Lower McAlpine Greenway 051010 (by Lenny Lampel):
April 3, 2013
Periodical cicadas (“locusts”) Brood XIX (19) will emerge in 2024 in Fifteen States
Periodical cicada Brood XIX (19) will emerge in the spring of 2024 in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The last time Brood XIX emerged was in 2011.
Special note: Brood XIII will also emerge in 2024. While the two broods do not overlap, they come closest in the Springfield, Illinois area.
What, when, where, and why:
What:
Millions of these cicadas:
- Cicada insects with a 13-year life cycle.
- Some people call them “locusts” but they are really cicadas. (Locusts are grasshoppers.)
- Which species: All four 13-year species:
- Magicicada neotredecim Marshall and Cooley, 2000. Range includes: AR, IL, IN, KY MO, & OK.
- Magicicada tredecim (Walsh and Riley, 1868). Range includes: AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN & VA
- Magicicada tredecassini Alexander and Moore, 1962
- Magicicada tredecula Alexander and Moore, 1962
- NOT the green cicadas that arrive annually.
Brood XIX has a 13-year cycle. It is interesting because it features both Magicicada neotredecim and Magicicada tredecim. These cicadas are very similar in song and appearance, but in areas where they overlap, Magicicada neotredecim alters its song to a higher pitch, which allows female cicadas to determine the species of their prospective mates. Visit Cicadas @ UCONN (formerly Magicicada.org) for more info on this behavior.
M. tredecim also have more orange on their abdomen than M. neotredecim.
When: Typically beginning in mid-May and ending in late June. These cicadas will begin to emerge approximately when the soil 8 inches beneath the ground reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. A nice, warm rain will often trigger an emergence.
Other tips: these cicadas will emerge after the trees have grown leaves, and, by my own observation, around the same time Iris flowers bloom.
Where:
Cicadas @ UCONN (formerly Magicicada.org) has the most up to date maps.
- Alabama counties: Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Choctaw, Clarke, Crenshaw, Elmore, Etowah, Greene, Lawrence, Limestone, Lowndes, Monroe, Montgomery, Russell, Sumter, Tallapoosa, Wilcox
- Alabama cities: Huntsville, Lowndesboro, Talladega
- Arkansas counties: Boone, Futon, Howard, Izard, Lawrence, Marion, Montgomery, Pike, Scott, Searcy, Sevier, Sharp, Washington, Yell
- Georgia counties: Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Columbia, Elbert, Greene, Harris, Houston, Jasper, McDuffie, Monroe, Muscogee, Oconee, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Richmond, Stephens, Taliaferro, Troup, Waren, Wilkes
- Georgia cities: LaGrange, Lincolnton, Rome, Washington.
- Illinois counties: Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Champaign, Clark, Clay, Coles, Cumberland, De Witt, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hancock, Iroquois, Jefferson, Johnson, Marion, Massac, Morgan, Moultrie, Pike, Pope, Saline, Shelby, Vermillion, Washington, Williamson
- Illinois cities: Charleston, Decatur
- Kentucky counties: Allen, Caldwell, Christian, Trigg
- Louisiana parishes: Caddo, Claiborne, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Washington, Webster. Parish information comes from older literature, and might not be as accurate as recent information.
- Maryland counties: St Marys
- Missouri counties: Adair, Boone, Callaway, Carter, Clark, Cooper, Dent, iron, Jackson, Knox, Louis, Lincoln, Macon, Maries, Marion, Montgomery, Morgan, Oregon, Osage, Pettis, Phelps, Ralls, Reynolds, St. Carles, St Francois, St Louis
- Missouri cities: Columbia, Gerald, Manchester, Pevely, Poplar Bluff, St. Louis, Troy
- Mississippi counties: Kemper, Newton
- North Carolina counties: Buncombe, Cabarrus, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Gaston, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Orange, Randolph, Rowan, Stanly, Union, Wake
- North Carolina cities: Apex, Baldwin Township, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Durham, Harrisburg, Mebane, New Hill, Pittsboro, Raleigh, Waxhaw
- Oklahoma counties: McCurtain
- South Carolina counties: Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Greenwood, Lancaster, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Saluda, Union, York
- South Carolina cities: Chester, Little Mountain, Rock Hill, Saluda, Winnsboro
- Tennessee counties: Blount, Cheatham, Clay, Davidson, Grundy, Hamilton, Jackson, Loudon, Macon, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Putnam, Rutherford, Sequatchie, Smith, Stewart, Summer
- Tennessee cities: Gallatin, Lebanon, Nashville, Spring Hill
- Virginia counties: Caroline, Glouchester, Halifax, James City, King and Queen, King William, Middlesex, New Kent, York
- Virginia cities: Alexandria, Stafford, Williamsburg
More Location Tips:
- County data is from the Cicada Central Periodical Cicada Record Database.
- Not sure? Ask someone in your community who lived there 17 years ago.
- A Tale of Two Broods: The 2024 Emergence of Periodical Cicada Broods XIII and XIX book by Dr. Gene Kritsky.
- The Cicada Safari app for iOS and Android to find and report cicadas.
- The University of Connecticut Periodical Cicadas website.
Why: Why do they stay underground for 13-years? The prevailing research suggests they’ve evolved a long, 13-year lifecycle allowing them to avoid predators that would sync up with their lifecycle & emergence. Why are there so many?! Research suggests that their huge numbers allow them to overwhelm predators, so enough of them will live on to breed and perpetuate the brood.
More facts and fun:
- Use the correct image when talking about these cicadas.
- Use the Periodical Cicada Emergence Checklist for the Maximum Magicicada Experience.
- All cicada questions that are frequently asked.
- A video to help you tell the difference between the species.
- The 17 Most Interesting Periodical cicada facts.
1907 Map from Marlatt, C.L.. 1907. The periodical cicada. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology.
See a modern map, or the Live Map from the Cicada Safari app.
What happened in 2011? Here’s some old blog posts with comments:
- A Brood XIX Periodical Cicada Primer
- The first photographed 2011 13-year cicada
- Periodical cicada fun facts to help you survive a cicada invasion
- Cicada Contest: Find a Cicada with White Eyes and Win a Prize
- Look out for Magicicadas with white eyes
What happened in 1998? Here’s our message board from then:
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 Cicadas @ UCONN (formerly Magicicada.org) for more information on this phenomena, and report your cicada sightings while you’re there. Credit goes to the Cicadas @ UCONN (formerly Magicicada.org)’s Facebook post that reminded me of the stragglers.