Looking Back, Looking Forward
Right now in the eastern U.S., annual cicadas are singing in the trees, the last few Magicicada hatchlings are disappearing into the soil in the northern parts of Brood XIII’s range, and thousands upon thousands of holes still mark the places where nymphs surfaced during this year’s double emergence. It was a marvelous year for Magicicada, particularly here on iNaturalist.
I’m just over the halfway point (at 50.9%) of reviewing this year’s observations, but it’s already obvious that this year’s emergence has added immensely to the picture of Magicicada distribution based on iNaturalist Research Grade data. This is particularly evident with the 13-year species:
M. tredecim (before and after)
M. tredecassini (before and after)
M. tredecula (before and after)
and especially M. neotredecim (before and after)
A Kind Heart and an Iron Will
Each cicada emergence generates all sorts of interesting stories of insect/human interaction, but one of this year’s was particularly encouraging. Adrienne Lowe (@adriennefriend here on iNat) had planned a relaxing getaway from work to visit the cicadas emerging in the Lake Geneva area of Wisconsin—one of the northernmost populations of Magicicada in the U.S. When she reached Big Foot Beach State Park, she learned from conversations with park staff that people had been stripping adult and teneral cicadas from the trees and shrubs, tearing off their wings, and carrying them away by the five-gallon bucket! Although the staff were upset about this, they felt powerless to act because, somewhere along the command chain, the cicadas had been dubbed “nuisance animals” that weren’t protected under the guidelines that safeguard most wildlife in state parks.
Adrienne wasn’t willing to accept that, and immediately began reaching out to Wisconsin DNR management, local media, and cicadologists (including Gene Kritsky, which is how I became aware of the situation), making calls, sending e-mails, and gathering as much information as possible from her hotel room. (So much for the relaxing getaway!) Ultimately, Adrienne prevailed: the DNR reviewed their policy, agreed that Magicicada deserved the same protection as the rest of the park’s wildlife, and posted signs and a press release advising visitors that collecting cicadas was illegal. Her struggle was highlighted in a story by Nick Bohr of WISN 12 News, helping to get the word out about the importance of protecting the cicadas.* As a relatively isolated population on the edge of the brood’s distribution, the Lake Geneva population of Brood XIII is fragile…and hopefully, Adrienne’s efforts have helped ensure that it will be protected during its next emergence, and for future generations of cicadas (and cicada lovers).
Next Up: Brood XIV
If you’re having Magicicada withdrawal, good news: the next big emergence is right around the corner, in spring of 2025! Brood XIV, one of the most widespread broods of 17-year cicadas, has a distribution broken into several patches, the largest of which is centered on KY. Another occurs in central PA, and two smaller populations exist on Long Island and Cape Cod. The Long Island population is threatened by overdevelopment, so it will be useful to see how the cicadas have been faring since their last appearance in 2008.
Observations of Brood XIV cicadas will be collected in 2025 Magicicada: Brood XIV, which starts in only 224 days! (Don’t you love that handy built-in countdown timer?)
*At the time the story was filmed, Adrienne did not want her name released because she was still traveling in WI. She’s fine with sharing it here!
