They’re Here!!

It’s been thirteen years, have you missed them? “Who?” You say? The periodical cicadas, of course!

Have you heard their song?

They’ve been underground for the last thirteen years. Waiting for the right moment. And now it’s happening. After sunset, they come out of holes in the ground and immediately look for something to climb. They emerge as nymphs, and then immediately want to molt into their adult form.

Some holes are quite shallow, some went about 7 inches into the ground.

I went out last night, after dark, and the nymphs were climbing the trees in my backyard

These nymphs were underground for 13 years, feed on plant roots, before emerging and finding their choice vertical surface on which to climb.

And yes, they search for the closest vertical thing to climb. So you may want to move around a bit. One or two decided that I was a vertical thing and I didn’t notice until they were 1/3 of the way up my leg!

Luckily, cicadas don’t bite. They’re not poisonous. They won’t harm you or your pets in any way. They don’t have the mouth parts to bite! And keep in mind, they’re aerating your yard for free!

The nymphs are wingless, but ready to almost immediately become an adult

Next Chapter: Puberty is Rough!