President’s Message

Paul Jester, PLA, ASLA 2021 President

Brood X…Like Clockwork

2004…George W. Bush was in office, Toby Maguire was Spiderman, and the Summer Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, where U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps won six gold medals, setting a record for the most medals won at a single Olympic Games (eight total!). But as landscapers, a few weeks are ingrained in our memory—the emergence of the Brood X cicadas. Every 17 years…like clockwork.

One of the first naturalists to observe and document the 17-year cicadas was Benjamin Banneker. A Maryland native, he is mostly remembered for helping to survey the District of Columbia and set the original boundaries of the nation’s new capital in 1791. In addition to this, he spent much of his life exploring mathematics, time, and nature. This included the Brood X emergence in 1749, 1766, 1783, and 1800. His observations and documentation initiated an understanding of the Brood X lifecycle, and we have continued to learn even more over the years.

While our Virtual Pesticide Recertification was a great success this year, it is hard to prepare for the periodical cicada emergence. At some point this spring, the Brood X cicadas will have tunneled out of their long dormancy and invaded the Northeastern parts of the United States. They have emerged to set up a temporary home in our landscapes. Once emerged, they will create one of the noisiest displays of public affection while mating. While not harmful to humans, they can be quite annoying to be around. But don’t worry, they will only be here for four to six weeks. After that, they will disappear after laying their eggs. The newly hatched insects will drop off the trees and burrow underground for another 17 years. And the cycle repeats in 2038…like clockwork.

While we cannot predict where each of us will be in 2038, I know that we are all trying to provide the best service for our customers in 2021. Many companies have been overwhelmed with work due to the increased interest in outdoor living spaces as we continue to adapt with changing COVID restrictions. LCA continues to explore educational opportunities, and we are looking forward to providing new options for the association in the coming months, including a rebooted version of the CLT training! We are excited to share these opportunities with you in the coming months and look forward to providing a safe and professional community for all our members. As always, I want to thank all of you for supporting this organization and being involved with LCA. We are excited to support you in your goals and look forward to providing educational and informative sessions for many years to come…like clockwork.

Be safe,

Paul Jester, PLA, ASLA LCA President 2021