Janice R. Andrews
Red-eyed periodical cicadas, endowed with jet-like muscles in their rears and pumps in their heads, are prepared to emerge in enormous numbers for decades, if not centuries, making them one of evolution’s bizarro wonders.
Not to be confused with their yearly counterparts, these black bugs with bulging eyes are scheduled to emerge from underground every 13 or 17 years and take over landscapes with a collective chorus as loud as jet engines.
Two cicadas broods, known as Brood XIX and Brood XIII, are expected to invade regions of the United States simultaneously this spring, marking an unprecedented event that experts are referring to as “cicada-geddon.”
Periodic cicadas, according to John Cooley, a cicada researcher from the University of Connecticut, are anything but subtle; he compares their appearance to a solar eclipse, except bigger and stranger.
Biophysicist Saad Bhamla of Georgia Tech is amazed by the sight, comparing the appearance of trillions of these living things to witnessing an entire alien species emerge from beneath the surface of the Earth.
These periodic cicadas, which are sometimes confused with locusts, are more of an annoyance than a danger to agriculture, only rarely inflicting harm to young trees and fruit crops.
Entomologists believe that rising ground temperatures brought on by climate change would cause the impending emergence of broods, particularly those of Brood XIX in the Southeast and Brood XIII throughout the Midwest.
It is predicted by entomologists that sixteen states would see the emergence of hundreds of billions, if not quadrillions, of cicadas, an unprecedented sight in recent memory.
The cicadas’ enormous population is thought to be the result of evolutionary strategies; their prime-numbered emergence cycles are probably a means of avoiding predators.
Although they can be annoying, cicadas are an important part of the environment because they feed birds and help with the cycling of nutrients in ecosystems.
But when they emerge, it can be problematic for young trees and nurseries, and the males’ loud singing to entice females can be rather noisy.
Cicada courtship rituals are described by witnesses as an amazing show, with males serenading females in front of a chorus that sounds like a singles bar.
When mating season begins, cicadas deposit their eggs in tree branches, and the nymphs descend to the ground to burrow beneath the surface and consume the roots of the trees.
Cicadas have developed particular adaptations, such as a pump in their heads that allows them to draw fluids from trees and muscles that are designed to evacuate waste quickly.
Many people look forward to the advent of these underground wonders with delight, despite the possible inconvenience they may bring, anxious to see nature’s amazing exhibition.
