One of summer’s most recognizable sounds—along with lawn mowers and the clinking of ice in your porch beverage—is the song of the cicadas. The comforting (to some) buzz is found in southern states and in New England. These cool insects have the same lifespan as many dog breeds (13-17 years), and it’s the males who make these passionate mating calls, which can reach 100 decibels—the same as a motorcycle or hairdryer. This year, something unusual is happening in the cicada world: the Brood XIV class will be seen for the first time since 2008, as reported by USA Today. These guys are kind of broody, kind of pompous like Louis XIV… and they’re the second-largest periodical cicada brood, appearing for their fans every 17 years.
That means high school juniors may have their first chance to see this Brood XIV class, so long as they live in one of 13 states. Those states where we can expect to see these rare singers are, in alphabetical order, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Of these, Kentucky and Tennessee will see the most.
Much like Cape Cod’s Sharktivity app, which tracks sightings of sharks, there’s a Cicada Safari tracker where you can report and post photos of cicadas you come across. Once cicadas show up, you’ll have about six weeks of enjoying their lively show tunes, but by July, the only signs of them will be their exit routes, the holes they bore in the ground. They burrow as deep as two feet down and live subterranean lives until they emerge again (in 17 years if they are Brood XIV class).
Embrace (but not literally) these bringers of the season’s music and book them as your next summer party’s DJs.