Walker Nature Center
A LOOK INSIDE • In Praise of Ticks and Mosquitoes 2 • Calendar of Events 4 • Kid’s Corner 6
By Sharon Gurtz
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17-year Cicada Brood II is buzzing. American Toads mature and leave the water. White-tailed Deer fawns are born. Bee Balm and Purple Coneflower bloom.
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Monarch and Red Admiral butterflies arrive. Black Rat Snakes lay eggs. Butterfly Weed and Cardinal Flower bloom. • Tent caterpillars emerge from cocoons.
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Copperhead snakes give birth to live young. Tiger Swallowtail butterflies are prevalent. Blue Lobelia, Asters and Goldenrod bloom. Eastern Box Turtle young hatch.
BRANCHING OUT Cicada Invasion By Ken Rosenthal
Dark black with red eyes, periodical cicadas can look fearsome. While smaller than annual cicadas, periodicals make up for it in sheer numbers. They emerge in amazing densities, sometimes as high as 1.5 million individuals per acre. The males form chorus centers to attract females, contracting abdominal muscles Photo by: Pennsylvania Department of to produce sounds that seem deafening. Their appearance can Conservation and seem sudden when they have been absent from the forest Natural Resources Bugwood.org for 16 years. Bugwood - UGA Most cicadas develop underground, feeding from the vascular tissues of tree and plant roots. The majority of cicada species we see here are “annual cicadas.” They have 2-5 year lifespans, spending all but their final summer underground. Their development is staggered, so we see individuals of these cicadas every year. Unlike annual cicadas, periodical cicadas develop synchronously. All individuals emerge from the soil, molt into their final adult form and search for mates together. Their life cycles can last 13 or 17 years. They are tracked using brood numbers assigned to the different synchronized groups. In our area, the last emergence of a 17-year cicada brood was Brood X in 2004. Brood II is a 17-year brood that will emerge this year. This is the “East Coast” brood, stretching from north central North Carolina, through central and northeastern Virginia, all the way to New York and southern New England. The emergence and subsequent mating activity takes place over a 4-6 week span, typically from late April to early June. During this time, the sheer numbers are thought to overwhelm predators. Predators become sated quickly, ensuring that most of the cicadas can successfully mate and reproduce. By the end of June it will seem like they were never here, with 16 more summers of development between us and the next swarm of cicadas. Though fearsome in appearance, cicadas do not sting or bite. Take time this spring to enjoy what is a truly rare and remarkable natural spectacle. Join us for Cicada Invasion on June 13 to learn more about these fascinating, long-lived insects.
Summer 13 Volume Fifteen