Figure 1. An adult periodical cicada on my arm 😊.
Many readers will remember when a massive brood of periodical cicadas (Brood X) emerged throughout Indiana back in 2021. With their dark bodies, red eyes, and orange wings, these insects look like something straight out of the X-files, am I right?? There was lots of noise (male cicadas singing for the females!), lots of cast cicada “skins” (molted off exoskeletons), and plenty of cicada “snacks” to go around for birds, chipmunks, squirrels, and even your family pets – apparently periodical cicadas are both a natural wonder and a delicacy!
This year, in a very rare event, two broods of periodical cicadas, Brood 13 (XIII) and Brood 19 (XIX), will emerge at the same time, for the first time since the 1800’s! In fact, some readers may already see and/or hear these periodical cicadas emerging in their area. Importantly, for those who may be concerned about young fruit trees, nursery trees and woody shrubs, this year’s double brood emergence will not reach levels that we saw in 2021 in most of the state. If you’d like a refresher on what to do to protect young trees and woody shrubs from female cicada egg-laying, please visit my Facts for Fancy Fruit article from 2021.
If you’re an enthusiast and want to experience the ‘magic’ again, you’ll want to make plans to visit Illinois, where the emergence will be a grand event, and you can get a front seat to the action. However, if you’re hoping to experience this event in Indiana and you’re in forested areas of Posey, Warrick, Newton, or Jasper Counties, you may be in the right spot to see Brood 19. If you live in forested areas of Lake, Porter, or LaPorte counties in Indiana, you’re in an extra special spot to see adults of BOTH Brood 13 and Brood 19 periodical cicadas, as these are the counties where both broods are anticipated to overlap in their emergence.
Although some may find these insects a bit spooky, you’ve got to admit that it’s pretty amazing that they can live underground for 13 to 17 years, sipping sap from the roots of trees, and when they emerge to live as adults for just a short time to mate and then die, they leave behind valuable nutrients for our wildlife and forests, the latter of which the cicadas and us humans cannot survive without!