Here’s some facts you might not know about cicadas. To grow to full size they stay underground sucking on tree roots for 13-17 years. When they emerge, they go to the treetops to lay eggs. When cicadas first come out, they leave behind their shells. Think of the shell leftovers as cicada puberty. Once the shells are left behind they transform into adulthood.  “I see their shells everywhere. It’s hard to get away from them” senior Salma Abushi said. They might seem intrusive at first, but listening to them sing during the day adds to the magic of summer.

Cicadas’ ideal weather is on the cool side, so when it gets too hot, they’ll die off and the next generation is left behind to thrive for the next emergence in 13-17 years. Four4-6 weeks is the length of time the cicadas will be at their peak. “I’ve never experienced so many cicadas before. It’s alarming but it’s cool at the same time” junior Ally Dearing said.  Cicadas mainly eat from the sap of grass and are nourished by the tree roots from before they come up to the surface. So don’t fret about cicadas eating plants. 

Cicadas are an incredible phenomenon, they only come out every couple decades, yet their species carries on. Since so many come out at once, extinction is not a concern. Many get eaten when they arrive, but the eggs left behind continue the bugs’ survival.  Look out for the cicadas this year, they’re hard to miss.