Yes! It’s the year for the “seventeen year locusts” to show up. In May these periodic cicadas will start crawling out of the soil as wingless nymphs, transforming to full fledged adults on their way to the branches of the tree that was likely the repository of their mothers’ eggs 17 years ago. Get ready for a noisy few weeks as they all compete to be heard in their mating mania. This, of course, is all before the buzzing songs of the annual cicadas that will be heard later in the summer.

Depending upon the history of your particular location, the number of cicadas may be apocalyptic to none at all. That’s because as adults they tend to travel short distances—if at all, from the place of their origin. So a location that historically has had many trees may have untold generations of these noisemakers, whereas former swampland or farmland that was recently developed, will likely have a much quieter spring.

PROTECTING SHRUBS & TREES According to the Morton Arboretum, only young trees or shrubs are in danger of being damaged by this invasion of the 17-year cicadas. They recommend not planting shrubs or trees under 2” diameter this spring and covering young vulnerable trees and shrubs with a protective netting.

For more information check out the article on this topic found on the Morton Arboretum’s website.