Billions of mid-Atlantic cicadas will soon emerge.
For 17 years, cicadas do a lot of what 2020 was — hanging out in burrows and hibernating. After this long hibernation, they emerge from the ground, sprout wings, sound off a ton of mating calls, have sex, and die within a few weeks. Their progeny will then return to the ground and hibernate for the next 17 years.
Over the next few weeks, billions of these mid-Atlantic cicadas born circa 2004, named Brood-X, will emerge. They begin their journey to the soil surface when soil temperatures reach around 64 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brood-X is one of the 15 broods of periodical cicadas that appear regularly in the eastern United States. You can see all of the US broods below.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22413227/Screen_Shot_2021_04_01_at_10.33.22_AM.png)
Where will I see Brood-X?
Brood X will appear in 15 states:
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Michigan
- North Carolina
- New Jersey
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- West Virginia