Warren County Connection A Publication of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County
July 2021
Periodical Cicada By Sandy Vanno, Warren County Master Gardener
In this issue:
Periodical cicadas are native to the eastern United States and occur nowhere else in he world! These fascinating insects emerge in enormous “broods” that are one of nature's great wonders, but can also be a cause for concern for some people. Periodical Cicada; Wikipedia
There are seven species, three of which have 17-year life cycles and four of which have 13-year life cycles. 17-year cicadas generally have a northern distribution, while 13year cicadas are more southern, although they exhibit considerable overlap in the middle of the United States from North Carolina and Georgia west to Missouri, and both types may be found in the same forest. Brood X (10), known as the “great eastern brood”, is a large brood that emerges across 15 states.
about an inch beneath the soil surface in April. Exit holes may be noticeable in a lawn, which may be unsightly but does not permanently harm the turf. If the ground is too damp, the mature nymphs build a protective earthen turret, which can help identify where cicadas will emerge. When the soil temperature reaches 64°F the nymphs exit the ground and crawl a foot or more up tree trunks, weeds or other upright objects. This usually occurs in late May or early June, depending on Adult periodical cicadas are about 1- how warm or cold spring tempera1/2” long, mostly black with reddish- tures are. The adult cicadas then orange eyes and wing veins. They shed the nymphal exoskeleton, may be confused with various spewhich is left behind, in an hour or cies of annual cicadas, which are less. At this point, the cicadas are larger with greenish wing veins, and soft, white, and unable to fly as the emerge from July-September instead exoskeleton takes a few hours to of late May-early June. harden. Once the exoskeleton is hardened the adults are capable of Periodical cicada nymphs live in the flying but are rather clumsy fliers and soil at depths of 2 to 24 inches, often collide into objects. This where they feed on sap from tree makes them easy prey for various roots. When nymphs determine it is birds, which gorge themselves on the the year to emerge, they burrow to (Continued on page 7)
Three Weeds with Three Leaflets
3
St. John’s Wort
4
Gardeners Reminded to Protect Pollinators
5
Boiling it Down: Adding Broth to Your Pet’s Meals
6
‘In the News’ Grape Toxicity
6
Protect Yourself Online
8
Reading to Young Children is Time Well Spent
9
Quarantine Side Effect: Nearsightedness in Kids
10
SAVE THE DATE
11
Special points of interest: •
Calendar of Events
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12th Annual CCE Golf Tournament & Silent Auction
