Cicadas, a magical group of bugs, are beginning to emerge from the ground for the first time in 17 years, and they’ve already been spotted on the Upper West Side.
It’s not clear why the bugs wait 17 years to come out of the ground, but it is clear that this is the year they’re planning to do it. When the temperature rises above 64 degrees, they will emerge from the ground, buzz around fro six weeks as they mate and then die. Oh great, a bunch of horny 17-year-olds with a death wish. Let’s just hope they don’t figure out how to get on twitter. The Times has a more science-y explanation for all this, and some of it is a little horrifying:
“What we do know is this: Their buzzing can reach 90 decibels, equivalent to some power motors. They have been seen in clusters of up to 1.5 million per acre. As if from some horror movie, cicada nymphs have been described as “boiling out of the ground.” Snow shovels are sometimes employed to clear them away.”
“Gross!” say some. “Marvelous!” say others. Whichever camp you’re in, we’ve posted a map below that can help you find out where the cicadas are flying. The Smithsonian says that they could be out in force in Central Park by the middle of this month. They’ve already been seen in the neighborhood, according to the map Between 1 and 5 adults were seen around 108th street near Central Park. WNYC science program RadioLab created the map, and is asking people to help them out by filing reports every time they see or hear a cicada. The form is here.
Photo by Travis Weins.
I’m pretty sure I see cicadas more often than every 17 years. Is that number really true? It implies that I’ve only seen them for 3 springs of my life, and it sure feels like more than that.
Alan, there are various types/species of cicadas. This particular one is “Brood II”, which is brood that only appear every 17 years. There are other broods that appear every 17, as well as some that are every 13 years. And there are some types of cicadas that you see annually. When the broods appear, they appear in mass (depending on where you live)…I recall when I was little and last say a 17 year cicada event, in some towns they had to use shovels to clear sidewalks, etc. It is a pretty cool bit of nature. Google it if you don’t believe all this…it’s a very well documented event!
whatever happened to june bugs.I dont recall seeing them in quite some time…back in the day they were all over,including lightning bugs…….guess the gentrification and yuppification have chased them all out.
Can’t be any worse than cockroaches (uhhh, not water bugs) after rains in NYC. Cicadas are deamed “magical”.
Yikes!! They are invading Central Park and the UWS. Do these prehistoric creatures have any idea of the property values in this area.
How gross!! I hate bugs. I grew up in NJ; but moved to NYC cause I don’t want to be up close and personal to nature. Ugh!!