As cicada season starts, many places in the Midwest and East of the United States will hear the sounds of cicadas. This year’s cicadas are mostly from two different groups. There is said to be a full chorus of cicadas that haven’t been seen in hundreds of years.
It is very unusual for this to happen again; it hasn’t happened in hundreds of years. The two groups of cicadas are called Brood XIX and Brood XIII. Liz Dana, an entomologist at the University of Illinois who studies cicadas, said, “It’s really exciting.” Many years have passed since I last looked forward to this. For everyone else, it will be a truly unique event.
The biggest group of periodical cicadas has come out after thirteen years underground. They are called Brood XIX. Every seventeen years, Brood XIII comes out, but this group is a lot smaller. A huge number of cicada species will be rising from the ground during this event.
“I like to remind people that this is a natural wonder of the world,” Dana said to emphasize how unique this event was. You can’t find this many types of land life anywhere else.
Some people have gone to places where big swarms of cicadas will be coming out because they are excited to see them, while others are trying to get away from them. People and pets shouldn’t be afraid of cicadas because they aren’t dangerous.
Big groups of these cicadas come out at the same time. No one knows why, but one idea is that it’s because the species has a better chance of survival when they come out in big groups. If you want to watch the cicadas, experts say you should do so from a safe distance so as not to bother them.
