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May 24, 2008

Emergence Update

Filed under: Brood XIV — Tags: — by @ 10:09 am

This should be a warm weekend all around the Easter half of the U.S.A. so the cicadas should definitely be emerging in Pensy and south.

G Murphy reports that he can hear them over he sound of his tractor in Muddy Pond, Tennessee.

Susan Blase reports that the cicadas are crawling up through their pavers in Bear Gap, Pennsylvania.

Karen reports that the emergence is “unreal” Northern McCreary Co., KY.

Leann reports that there are hundreds coming up through the ground in Bowling Green, KY.

June reports that there are so many that the grass is moving in Richmond, KY.

Becca reports “There are hundreds in my yard in Huntington, West Virginia“.

Verna reports that the emergence has begun in Frankfort, KY.

John Ashville reports that they’re singing in Asheville, NC.

Mike reports that “the yard looks alive as hundreds, perhaps thousands have emerged in the lawn” in Radcliff, Hardin County KY.

Roy Troutman reports that they have emerged in Batavia OH, and both Roy and Matt Berger report that they have emerged in Loveland, OH.

Some photos from Roy:

Nymphs crawling up a tree

A cicada fresh out its shell.

Don’t forget to:

  1. Report your sightings to magicicada.org
  2. Take photos and video

Florida cicada photos from Joe Green

Here’s a pleasant interruption in the 17-year cicada mania. Joe Green has sent us some cicada photos from Florida. These are from last years season.

Joe says the Neocicada hiroglyphica cicadas have been singing in Florida since April 29th.

Joe’s Cicada 1

Joe’s Cicada 2

May 2, 2008

C.L. Marlatt’s Periodical Cicada bulletin online

Filed under: Magicicada — Tags: , — by @ 4:35 am

The USDA National Agriculture Library has published the full 148 page bulletin from 1898 titled The periodical cicada: an account of Cicada septendecim, its natural enemies and the means of preventing its injury : together with a summary of the distribution of the different broods.

The document is viewable as images or in PDF form, and features an abundance of information, and excellent, now public domain illustrations (like those below).

Illustration from Marlatt

Illustration from Marlatt

April 23, 2008

Cicada nymphs, chimneys and holes

Filed under: Brood XIV,Magicicada,Roy Troutman — Tags: , — by @ 5:12 pm

Here’s some new photos from Roy Troutman that will give you a good idea of what to look for when searching for signs of cicadas in your yard:

This is a pair of Magicicada nymphs, much like you might find when gardening or turning over logs or stones in your yard.

Magicicada nymphs

See those beige globs of soil amongst the leaves and debris? Those are called cicada chimneys. They are a sure sign that a cicada nymph is below the soil, and will emerge in a few days or weeks.

Magicicada chimneys

Look closely at this picture and you’ll see holes in the ground. Those are holes that cicada nymphs have dug, and they’re another sure sign of where a cicada will emerge.

Cicada holes

On May 1st we’ll start making predictions as to when they’ll start to emerge.

March 2, 2008

New Cicada Photos from Adam Fleishman / ID this cicada

Filed under: Adam Fleishman,Tibicen — Tags: , , , — by @ 12:35 pm

Here’s some new photos from photographer and cicada enthusiast Adam Fleishman. As always, they’re great photos. If you can help ID the first two photos, we’d appreciate it.

Needs an ID:

Tibicen

Needs an ID:

Tibicen

T. dorsatus (formerly T.dorsata):

T. dorsatus (formerly T.dorsata)

T. dorsata

Tibicen superbus (formerly T. superba)

T. superba

Visit Adam’s website Cometmoth Sight and Sound

March 1, 2008

Brood XIV will be here soon enough

Filed under: Brood XIV,Cicadas Misc. — Tags: — by @ 6:47 pm

Today is March 1st, and in a couple of months the Brood XIV cicadas will be here. I’ll work up a comprehensive article in the coming weeks. Historically speaking, Brood XIV has emerged in Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. Some of Brood XIV pre-emerged in 2007, ands pictures of that on the site.

The first sign of an emergence is usually news articles. Here’s one of the first:

Cicadas are coming in May from the Times Tribune in Scranton PA.

Beyond Brood XIV.

John Beaver and Judith Baker Waller’s cicada art exhibit is currently going on at the Aaron Bohrod Art Gallery at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley. Judith is a fan of this site, so it’s great to see her having the opportunity to exhibit her work.

And here’s and NPR Story about eating bugs including cicadas.

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