The Great Cicada Emergence

  

The Great Cicada Emergence

By Jenna Atma, Warner Parks Naturalist

Something exciting is happening in the park—the first sightings of some very special cicadas! Whether or not you've already heard about “the big cicada emergence” this year, you may very soon notice several of these small, red-eyed creatures buzzing around in the trees or crawling on the sides of plants and buildings. 

You've probably seen or heard cicadas before, especially if you've spent at least one summer in Tennessee, but the cicadas emerging this year are part of a special group. These cicadas are called Periodical Cicadas and are a species that spends the first part of its life, a whopping 13 years, completely underground, only emerging to sing and find a mate. They’re called “periodical” because they only emerge above ground on a 13-year cycle, based on their lifespan. Because they’re cyclical, we can predict when they will emerge, and each of these “broods” is numbered. In 2024, we’re experiencing “Brood XIX”!

Discarded exoskeleton (outer skin) of a cicada nymph

Many cicadas spend the majority of their lives in nymph-form, drinking nutrients from tree roots underground. Once they are ready to emerge, they dig their way out of the ground and crawl up the sides of plants, trees, and buildings, and shed their nymph exoskeleton, similar to a butterfly hatching from a chrysalis or cocoon. They will then perch nearby and wait as their shells harden and wings dry out. Then, off into the night they fly, leaving their exoskeleton behind! You can watch this process in the time-lapse video below:

Time-lapse video of a cicada emerging from its nymph exoskeleton

However, not all cicadas spend years and years underground. Many of the cicadas you see and hear every year are “annual cicadas”, which mature in just 2-5 years. This means that annual cicadas emerge unsynchronized from each other, whereas the periodical cicadas have synchronized broods and all emerge en masse in the same year as the rest of their "brood". 

An annual (also "Dog-day") cicada, which is larger and has black eyes with green markings

Although cicadas are loud and can be rather alien-looking, there’s no need to be afraid of them. Cicadas don’t bite defensively or have any stingers, nor are they poisonous. In fact, they are quite harmless! Large broods of cicadas emerging can also provide a valuable food source for birds and other insect-eating animals, and the tunnels that cicada nymphs dig helps aerate the soil, which can have a positive impact on plant growth and available soil nutrients. So don’t worry—cicadas aren’t going to harm your gardens or trees!

Freshly-emerged cicada drying its new wings at Warner Parks

So where can I find cicadas, you may ask? You'll be able to see (or mostly just hear) both periodical and annual cicadas during early summer evenings and nights here in Tennessee. Brood XIX has the largest range of all the periodical cicada broods, and can be found in many parts of Tennessee. Cicadas from Brood XIX will also be emerging in many other states in the Midwest and eastern U.S.; and along with them, another brood of periodical cicadas will be emerging as well, a species of 17-year cicadas called Brood XIII! Although we won’t be able to experience them here at Warner Parks, these two broods will be overlapping emergence years in parts of their ranges for the first time in 221 years, which makes this year a very special one for cicadas indeed! 

So take some time in the evenings this summer (early May – late June) to go outside and listen for the chorus of cicada calls, and enjoy these amazing little creatures on this very special year!

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Want to come and celebrate or learn more about cicadas here at Warner Parks? Join us for our upcoming Cicada Celebration on May 23rd and 24th from 1-3pm, or visit our upcoming program and events schedule to discover other fun happenings here at Warner!