A noisy and once in a lifetime spring coming for Illinois

Georgia
February 23, 2024 2:49am CST
There are not many insects that live as long as a periodical cicada. They can live up to 17 years, mostly underground. When they emerge after all that time, it is to mate and then die. Only the males sing, and each species has a distinctive song. 2024 is the year in which all 7 named species of periodical cicadas in the USA will reach adulthood. This will not happen again until 2041. More importantly, there is also, during May, weather allowing, a co-emergence of a 13 year cycle and a 17 cycle brood in Illinois, which has not happened since 1803, and will not happen again until 2245. They might not overlap, but they are pretty close together in the Springfield area, so you never know. Lake County will have a CicadaFest at Ryerson Woods on 9 June (more details here: ) and a few other events around the time as well. Sounds like this spring might warrant a once in a lifetime fanfare. https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/where-will-17-13-year-periodical-cicadas-emerge-next/ Also: https://cicadas.uconn.edu/
https://www.lcfpd.org/calendar/cicadafest/202406091/
3 people like this
2 responses
@Fleura (29280)
• United Kingdom
23 Feb
It's going to be noisy!
1 person likes this
• Georgia
23 Feb
I remember my Uncle's farm in the Karoo, on a hot summer day you needed earplugs around the sweet-thorn trees. This I think will be louder still
@RebeccasFarm (86976)
• United States
23 Feb
I love the sound of them..
1 person likes this