GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her "dream" research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands. GrrlScientist and her five parrots are currently relocating to Germany, where she will continue writing her blog while also writing a book and learning German. (Meanwhile, her parrots will continue to nibble on her extensive personal library.) If you appreciate GrrlScientist's writing, you can help pay her living expenses by hiring her to "blog" your conference, speak at your club or write articles for your publication (or by clicking on the Paypal button below). If you read an essay on this blog that you especially enjoyed, please nominate it for inclusion in 
tags: insects, cicada, streaming video
In case you haven't heard yet, the cicadas are coming this year. In the next few months you will be hearing about the impending emergence of the 17 year cicada, mistakenly called 17 year locusts. If you don't remember the last outbreak, or if you are new to the east coast, you need to know a few facts about this periodic phenomenon.
Cicadas are large, plant-feeding insects. They have clear wings and are known for making a very loud noise. When tens of thousands of cicadas are singing at the same time the sound is quite loud and annoying. Be prepared for about 2 to 4 weeks of this sound beginning in May.
This fascinating streaming video is a mini-documentary detailing the life cycle of the amazing 17-year cicada. It includes some nice music, too [5:48].
Comments
Which broods in which geographic areas are emerging this year? Is there a website that is a 'cicada central' that gives all the details for each brood?
Posted by: coturnix | May 25, 2007 9:19 AM
It's only annoying if you're trying to put on a concert of your own. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070313cicadas,1,5278420.story
Posted by: TomDunlap | May 25, 2007 9:58 AM
Interesting question, Coturix! I found this link: Magicicada broods and distributions: http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fauna/Michigan_Cicadas/Periodical/Index.html#Magicicadabroods
Posted by: Diane in Ohio | May 25, 2007 10:27 AM
There was a huge emergence in 2002 or 2003 in the Northeast over through at least Indiana. I am wondering if there are different populations or individuals that are on different 17-year cycles in the same areas. I heard a cicada today near a wooded area in Houston, perhaps one of our 13-year cyclers as opposed to the annual ones; I believe the annaul form is supposed to emerge later. As a former resident of Pennsylvania and Virginia, I remember the regret I felt upon hearing cicadas later in the summer as a harbinger of the end of my school summer vacations. I also recall being annoyed at seeing ads in the newspaper for back-to-school clothing sales in early August.
Posted by: biosparite | May 25, 2007 12:59 PM
We had our emergence in the Mid-Atlantic a few years ago. I think these are somewhere in the mid-West.
Posted by: Tabor | May 25, 2007 1:23 PM
Thanks for hat website, Diane. That is exactly the kind of one-stop-shopping page I was looking for.
There are six species of them - three pairs of sister-species, to be exact, with one species of the pair emerging every 17 and the other every 13 years. There are occasional 'near-misses' when a part of a brood emerges one year too early or late.
There are several 17y and several 13y broods around the country. Some have small, other huge geographical ranges. There are overlaps between them so the same forest can have emergence more often than every 17 or 13 years.
Posted by: coturnix | May 25, 2007 2:12 PM
We had a big Brood X emergence in 2004 around the DC area. During its peak, it became difficult to bird because the cicada sound kept drowning out the bird songs. It turned out to be a great year for cuckoos, though. I see we are due for another emergence (Brood XIV) next year.
Posted by: John | May 25, 2007 2:13 PM
Greetings! We also had Brood X here in SW Ohio in 2004. What a mess they made- I'm glad they won't be back until 2021!
Posted by: MCH | May 26, 2007 7:37 AM
Here's a map where people in the Brood XIII area can report on the intensity of the insects in their neighborhood: http://www.LCFPD.org/cicadamap
Posted by: Catherine Savage | May 26, 2007 11:33 AM