Hey, so, remember that whole thing last year when the Brood X cicadas were all going to emerge from underground after 17 years and everyone was all excited (or freaked out) and there was this big old hullabaloo about it? Okay, well… you wanna do it again? Sure, it’s not going to be as massive a cicada exodus from the soil as it was last year, but as with all things in life, sometimes there are stragglers. What, you’ve never been late for anything before? If you missed the big “Brood X cicadas in Indiana” shenanigans last year, not to worry – you’ll still likely be able to see some of the little guys this year, too.
With a face like that, what’s not to love?
Geoff Livingston/Flickr Think of them like puppies. Tiny, winged puppies that climb out of their own shed skin and make a racket whenever they feel like it. And then they die. There is that.
That’s right, some last-minute Brood X cicadas have likely already decided to join us, and you may or may not notice them depending on the circumstances.
Geoff Livingston – Flickr We suppose it depends on how hard you look, really.
While you more than likely won’t see the Brood X cicadas in Indiana in the numbers they arrived in last year, you might just see one or three here and there, arriving a year later than the vast majority of their brethren.
Martin LaBar/Flickr There are multiple factors that determine when the cicadas “decide” to emerge, like soil temperature, which needs to hit 64 degrees Fahrenheit to “wake” the little guys.
Fewer states will see these stragglers, though.
Jacob Ian Wall/Flickr In mid-May, chances are they have already begun emerging in southern Indiana, Maryland, and Ohio. In late May and into June, the stragglers might emerge in northern Indiana, as well as Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Other states that may see them are Virginia, DC, Kentucky, and Illinois.
And if these little fellas give you the heebie-jeebies, not to worry: though they seem large for an insect and make quite a bit of noise, they do not bite and are not aggressive.
Martin LaBar/Flickr Some of them might mistake you for a tree, land on you, and try to suck the sap out of you, but should this happen, kindly brush the insect off and go about your day sans the hungry critter. He’ll probably find a good, solid tree eventually. Just let him live his best life out there.
Or perhaps you can offer him a ride to the nearest delicious tree or sapling?
Victoria Pickering/Flickr
So, what are your thoughts about the Brood X cicadas and their possible return to the Hoosier State? Have you spotted any already? Send us your cicada reports in the comments!
Geoff Livingston/Flickr
Think of them like puppies. Tiny, winged puppies that climb out of their own shed skin and make a racket whenever they feel like it. And then they die. There is that.
Geoff Livingston – Flickr
We suppose it depends on how hard you look, really.
Martin LaBar/Flickr
There are multiple factors that determine when the cicadas “decide” to emerge, like soil temperature, which needs to hit 64 degrees Fahrenheit to “wake” the little guys.
Jacob Ian Wall/Flickr
In mid-May, chances are they have already begun emerging in southern Indiana, Maryland, and Ohio. In late May and into June, the stragglers might emerge in northern Indiana, as well as Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Other states that may see them are Virginia, DC, Kentucky, and Illinois.
Some of them might mistake you for a tree, land on you, and try to suck the sap out of you, but should this happen, kindly brush the insect off and go about your day sans the hungry critter. He’ll probably find a good, solid tree eventually. Just let him live his best life out there.
Victoria Pickering/Flickr
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