Monomad Challenge - Those Cicadas

This is my entry for the #monomad challenge by @monochromes! You can read more about the contest and how to enter HERE!

I never got to show off these little "buggers" much this year! They are the 17 year Brood X Cicadas! This particular species emerges from underground only every seventeen years. They emerge, eventually mate, lay eggs which hatch and the Nymphs fall to ground. The Nymphs burrow underground and will moult several times before eventually emerging in seventeen years. These are periodical Cicadas but we also get the annual Cicada every summer. The Brood X species do have some differences from the annual Cicada in that they have a darker body and, most notably, red eyes instead of the annual's black eyes. They are also said to be larger but I found them in many different sizes but some were indeed larger. This species isn't due to make an entrance again until the year 2038. I don't expect to be around to see them again but time will tell on that one!

We did have some odd weather here in Maryland (which isn't very unusual) that caused them to emerge in spurts. The weather would be warm one day or week and cool the next which impacted the Cicadas emergence from deep underground.

When they first started emerging I thought it was pretty cool as I remembered times in the past of them emerging and in particular the first time I experienced seeing them as a child.

I thought with our unpredictable weather that many of them died and I did find a lot that did indeed die at different stages after they had emerged. But, eventually, they did emerge in great numbers and some might say that seeing so many could cause nightmares but they can't really hurt you. Unless one flew into your eye which I never heard of. I'm sure if you hit one while on a bicycle or motorcycle it would hurt some and I didn't see a whole lot of motorcyclists out during the time that the Cicadas were out.

Towards the end of the biggest emergence though it was a little harder to walk outside in the yard after noon. There would be swarms of them. I didn't mind a few landing on me here or there but at one point I found myself retreating to the safety of the indoors. Sometimes even bringing along a little hitchhiker with me too! 😏

Thank you @brumest, @ewkaw and @monochromes for #monomad!!
All photos and text by me @deerjay. All rights reserved.