This spring, cicadas invaded a large part of the eastern United States. The brood of insects that appeared in Maryland this year were 17-year periodical cicadas. Known as Brood X, or the great eastern brood, they emerged from the underground in May and remained in the area until the middle of June.
Cicada on my shirt
The insects seemed to appear overnight and were suddenly everywhere. Cicadas were flying around, standing on cars, and lying on sidewalks. They have a deserved reputation for being clumsy fliers. On my daily walks, I would usually have a couple cicadas swirling through the air and landing on my clothing. When I tried to shake them off, they would sometimes respond with a loud chirping noise.
Discarded exoskeleton shell
The cicadas have red-orange eyes and long, visible wings. When they emerge from the ground, the insects molt into their adult form and discard their exoskeletons (shells). I saw them littered everywhere across the ground. After this phase, they begin to attract mates and lay eggs.
Cicadas and their shells on the sidewalk
Cicadas landing on your arms, legs, and clothing is a bit unsettling at first, until you realize that they are relatively harmless. Luckily, they are not known to bite or sting. They could be seen flying around trees, but they didn’t seem to do much damage to the leaves.
Cicada on my shirt
The biggest nuisance they caused for me was their loud and sometimes deafening noise. I might be somewhat exaggerating, but they can get very loud! According to the National Institutes of Health, their mating calls and responses can exceed 90 decibels, which is equivalent to lawnmowers and motorcycles.
Cicada in motion
I could hear their sounds echoing throughout the neighborhood all day long. Particularly around trees, their hissing and buzzing got so loud that it actually hurt my ears. At this time of year, I typically sleep with my windows open, and I could hear the cicada noise all night long.
Cicada on sidewalk
By the middle of June, the insects started to disappear. I didn’t see them around anymore, and their seemingly ever-present background noise finally went away. They are known to stick around for only about six weeks.
Cicadas and their shells on the sidewalk
Other than some dead cicadas and discarded shells, maybe some leaf damage, they didn’t leave much of a visible trace that they were even here. The tiny eggs laid by them have hatched, and the nymphs that emerged have burrowed back underground.
Cicada on a truck tire
The periodical cicadas are fascinating creatures. Their emergence every 17 years is an interesting natural phenomenon. They weren’t too much of a disturbance to people, pets, plants, or wildlife. By my calculation, they will be returning here in 2038. I’ll look forward to that.
