White-eyed Magicicada from Meagan Lang of Nashville, TN. Brood XIX. 2011.
March 19, 2020
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.
Molting Magicicada by Kevin Anderson of Oakville Missouri
Molting Magicicada by Kevin Anderson of Oakville Missouri. 2011. Brood XIX.
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 cicada Brood XIX (19) will emerge in 2024 in Sixteen States
News! a Brood XIX straggler has emerged in Georgia!
Periodical cicada Brood XIX (19) will emerge in the spring of 2024 in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The last time this brood emerged was in 2011.
Special note: Brood XIII will also emerge in 2024.
What, when, where, and why:
What:
Millions of these:
- Cicada insects with a 13-year life cycle.
- Some people call them “locusts” but they’re really cicadas.
- Which species: All four 13-year species:
- Magicicada neotredecim Marshall and Cooley, 2000. Range includes: AR, IL, IN, KS, KY MO, & OK.
- Magicicada tredecim (Walsh and Riley, 1868). Range includes: AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KS, 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 ones 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″ 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
- 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
- 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, Moultrie, Pike, Pope, Saline, Shelby, Vermillion, Washington, Williamson
- Indiana counties: Posey
- 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
- Mississippi counties: Kemper, Newton
- North Carolina counties: Buncombe, Cabarrus, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Gaston, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Randolph, Rowan, Stanly, Union
- Oklahoma counties: McCurtain
- South Carolina counties: Aiken, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Lancaster, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Union, York
- Tennessee counties: Blount, Cheatham, Clay, Davidson, Grundy, Hamilton, Jackson, Loudon, Macon, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Putnam, Rutherford, Sequatchie, Smith, Stewart, Summer
- Virginia counties: Caroline, Glouchester, Halifax, James City, King and Queen, King William, Middlesex, New Kent, York
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.
Why: Why do they stay underground for 13-years? The prevailing research suggests they’ve evolved a long, 13-year lifecycle to avoid predators that can 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.
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.
June 12, 2011
Best Cicada News of the Week: Cicada Ice Cream?!
Brood XIX News
You can see the latest 500 cicada sightings on magicicada.org. Visit their “2011 Brood XIX sightings” map. The latest reports are from Illinois and Missouri.
The latest Science Cabaret Podcast is about cicadas, and in particular, the relationship of birds and cicadas. The podcast features Dr. Walt Koenig and is hosted by Dr. Holly.
I enjoyed this blog post Kingdom of the Cicadas. It features photos and videos of the emergence from Joplin, Missouri.
Cicada Ice Cream
There were a lot of news stories about Sparky’s Ice Cream shop in Columbia, Missouri, and their cicada ice cream. After reading dozens of articles, it seems that they only made one batch, and the local health official(s) only advised them not to make the ice cream, but did not specifically or legally stop them from making it.
Related… cicada pie, pizza and tacos courtesy of the University of Maryland’s PDF cookbook. The cookbook is circa 2004 (Brood X) but they still work.
June 5, 2011
Best Brood XIX Cicada News of the Week for May 29-June 4
Brood XIX emergence update
Looking at the Cicadas @ UCONN (formerly Magicicada.org) emergence map it appears that the cicadas have emerged everywhere they’re expected to emerge.
The next question is, when will they be gone? Local emergences typically last between four to six weeks, starting from the first emerging nymph, to the last dead cicada. I wouldn’t expect any cicadas around today to be around on Independence Day. Their corpses will be around though – so don’t forget to rake them up.
White Eyed Cicada Contest
The White Eyed Cicada Contest is over and 10 people won I Love Cicada pins. Congratulations to Joey Simmons of Nashville, TN, Meagan Lang of Nashville, TN, Serena Cochrane of Gerald MO, Melissa Han of Nashville TN, Jane and Evan Skinner of Troy MO, Phyllis Rice of Poplar Bluff MO, Jack Willey of Nashville TN, Chris Lowry of Nashville TN, Nathan Voss of Spring Hill TN, and Paul Stuve of Columbia, MO.
Cicada Videos
The Kenyon Media Group produced this video that demonstrates the cicada’s affinity for the sound of power tools. Educational and hilarious. You must watch it. Cicadas are attracted to the sound of power tools and lawn maintenance equipment because they think the sound is coming from other cicadas.
Do you like cicada song parodies? This song parodies Faith Hill’s song Breathe but it’s called Breed. Not sure who the singer is, but she’s fantastic.
This news report from CBS is pretty good, as far as cicada news reports go. It features John Cooley of Cicadas @ UCONN (formerly Magicicada.org), and Elias Bonaros‘ live Magicicada collection. “Betty Nguyen reports from Simpson, Ill on the return of cicadas – as part of their normal, 13-year cycle – and a young boy’s fascination with the bug”. Sorry no embedded video.
Cicada Humor
Rest in Peace Nashville Cicada on Twitter. @TNCicada – his corpse is rotten, but he won’t be soon forgotten.
True story: someone called the police on the cicadas. Who drops a dime on a decim?
Eating Cicadas
Sadly, Sparky’s Ice Cream has sold out of their cicada flavored ice cream.
The art of eating cicadas. Just don’t choke on them.
Cicada Tea! I pity the person who drinks cicada tea!
