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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Cicada Swarmageddon: 17 years in the making

No cicada sightings yet in Dunellen, NJ. 

The conclusion of the infamous 17 year cycle for the cicadas on the east coast is supposed to be already at its height. However, the weather has been a little flaky (Upstate NY got 3 feet of snow on Memorial Weekend!) and so that's probably why the delay.

cicada just emerged from final skin

Just like human 17 year olds, these cicadas are horrible drivers erratically zooming around thinking only of breeding. I remember the last time the onslaught of flying funsized bugs came oh so many years ago... Brood II periodical Magicicadas making skwatshy noises when hitting the windshield on Rt. 287, the bosses' Siberian husky jumping 3 feet in the air to catch a crunchy snack, the suicidal cicada leaping into my soup as I stubbornly tried to eat outside. Ah, yes, fun times.

If you do see them, help a scientist out and report it. This chance to study Brood II only happens every 17 years.

PS: This cicada photo was taken in my backyard in July 2012.

6/12/13 Edited to add: No real sightings in Dunellen. Up the mountain was a different story. On Washington Rock Road, the cicada hum we heard in Watchung stopped in total when we crossed into Green Brook.

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