TEXAS, USA — A once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon will take place this spring in several states across the nation.
Two broods of cicadas will emerge from the ground in April for the first time in 200 years!
It's going to be a loud and magical event that won't happen again until 2245. That's why people are wondering if this dual emergence is heading down south.
THE QUESTION
Will this year's rare double brood of cicadas hit Central Texas?
OUR SOURCES
Dr. Gene Kritsky, professor emeritus of Biology at Mount St. Joseph University and Katie Dana, Institute Affiliate for the Illinois Natural History Survey
THE ANSWER
No, you won't see the double brood of periodical cicadas in Central Texas, but it's still a rare phenomenon that anyone can travel to see.
WHAT WE FOUND
There are many species of cicadas across the country.
Scientists this year are excited about periodical cicadas.
"What we're going to see is a 17-year-cycle brood which last emerged in 2007," Dana said. "It will come out across northern Illinois and a little bit into the surrounding states. Then, in the southern half of the state and all the way stretched over to the east coast is a 13-year brood, and that's Brood 19. The numbers get confusing, but that brood came out last in 2011. The fact that these two broods are co-emerging and co-emerging in the same state, potentially even having a little bit of overlap, it's what's really incredible about this one."
The cicadas emerge in massive numbers, spending either 13 or 17 years underground.
"What makes this rather unusual is that both broods are emerging during the same year," Kritsky said. "Now the last time these two particular broods emerged together was in 1803. To give people some historical perspective, that's when Thomas Jefferson was president of the United States."
As far as cicadas in Central Texas, Kritsky says we do see annual cicadas in this region.
"Those will be coming out later in the summer," said Kritsky. "Usually they start coming out in early July, and they're with you through August, September and even into October."
However, the dual emergence between two broods of periodical cicadas this year will happen mostly in Central Illinois.
"You could drive across almost the whole state of Illinois and be able to see them," Dana said. "People are calling this like 'Cicada-mageddon' or something like that."
Central Texans would have to travel to see a real brood emergence.
"They'll be getting pretty close, if you go up to the corner border in Louisiana and Arkansas and Texas up in the Northeast," Kritsky added.
We likely won't see the emergence in Texas, but it's still a rare phenomenon that anyone can travel to see.
"This is like a natural wonder of the world," Dana said. "We don't see anything like this anywhere else on the globe."
To help researchers understand more about the insect, Kritsky is asking people to download the app, Cicada.
"If they see a periodical cicada, take a photograph and submit the photograph for mapping," Dr. Kritsky added. "Back in 2021, we had over 200,000 people download the app, and we received over half a million photographs. This is a way in which we could really get a lot of data in the hands of specialists."
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