As the winter chill thaws and spring sets in, eastern United States residents are bracing for the sights and sounds of Brood XIV cicadas. These periodical cicadas, which last appeared in 2008, are known for their synchronized emergence every 17 years, and this event is expected to transform landscapes into buzzing hubs. According to FOX Baltimore, Brood XIV's members will begin to surface in April, with the warmer southern states like Georgia and Tennessee expected to see the initial wave of emergence. The DMV area, specifically certain parts of Maryland and Virginia, should prepare to hear the incessant hum by May.
Contrary to the excitement around the phenomenon, the District of Columbia will likely miss out on this natural spectacle. Bug of the Week reported a "definite no" for cicada appearances in D.C. this year, citing historical and recent compilations. At the same time, Maryland remains a "maybe," with some historical accounts suggesting possible emergence spots in certain counties. In a curious twist, these occurrences may be stragglers from an earlier Brood X emergence or entirely new episodes of Brood XIV, fostering uncertainty until the creatures decide to make their dramatic, above-ground debut.
Apart from their role as an acoustic marker of spring, cicadas have often sparked undue concern due to their formidable appearance and mass numbers. However, experts insist there's no need for alarm. "Cicadas may look threatening, but they're actually very harmless," Dr. Floyd Shockley, Entomologist and Collections Manager at the Department of Entomology at the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian stated, as per FOX Baltimore. Cicadas do not pose a threat to humans, nor are they harmful to domesticated animals or gardens.
The distinctive emergence pattern of periodical cicadas ranks among the natural world's most precise biological events. Prompted solely when the soil temperature precisely hits 64 degrees Fahrenheit, their appearance can be startlingly sudden. "It's kind of shocking how fast it all disappears," John Cooley, an entomologist at the University of Connecticut, told ABC 7 Chicago. While the occurrence is transitory, the aftermath serves as a testament to the cyclical nature of these insect events, which have punctuated springs for centuries since European colonists first documented them in the 1600s.
