Michigan Cicadas – When & Where They Will Emerge
Michiganders, consider yourself lucky. We survived the solar eclipse. Now there are a trillion cicadas that are about to let loose in parts of the U.S… Michigan won’t see most of them, but we should see some. This year we have two different cicada broods emerging. Where will Michigan cicadas appear? Read on to find out more about cicadas and how their cycles work plus a map of where the cicada are most likely appearing.
Why Michigan Will Have More Cicadas Than Usual This Year
Brood XIII (thirteen) is a periodical cicada. Cicadas can be periodical or annual in their appearances depending on the brood. Different cicadas have different cycles. The Brood XIII cicadas come up every three years or so but they’re not on blast. Once every 17 years, the Brood XIII pulls out all.the.stops. A crazy amount of cicadas burst forth in the spring and in certain parts of the country, the cicadas are thick beyond belief.
Brood XIX cicadas appear every 13 years. This year, Brood XIII and Brood XIX are both up to bat. The last time both of these cicadas presented at the same time was 1803. CBSnews.com has more info on the cicada brood timelines and a great cicada map.
Michigan cicadas are usually just annual cicadas that we get in late summer. We hear them as ambient summer background sound, but they’re not everywhere. To be clear, cicadas are not one bit dangerous. They’re loud, but they don’t bite and they are not aggressive. They just rise up, throw a massive boom-chicka-bow-wow party to make more cicadas, and then they die. Here’s a video of just how loud cicadas are:
Cicada-palooza In Washington D.C.
It’s hard to believe it’s been this long, but 20 years ago, my family had just moved to Washington D.C.. I had recently taken a job doing middays at DC101 and it was a very exciting time. We moved in October and it got cold fast. The winter was long and ridiculous. Tons of snow (especially for DC) and it didn’t warm up until mid-May. When it did, temps went straight to summer and then the cicadas (Brood X) rose up.
I kid you not, I had so much anxiety. I thought I had just moved my family to the most targeted spot in the country. The political epicenter of our country and now the locust has arrived. At least it seemed that way. The cicada were so thick that it could be treacherous driving on the highway. The Brood X cicadas would hit the windshield at an unbelievable rate. I remember having to drive with my windshield wipers on a couple of times just to knock the cicada carcasses off.
Our backyard had woods behind it. Ground that hasn’t been turned over in 17 years or more has undisturbed cicadas populations. There were times that the whirling was so loud, I couldn’t hear the other end of my phone call. There were times when people cut my phone call because they couldn’t hear me over the cicadas. It was crazy.
My daughter was four. Her preschool had the kids out on the playground picking up dead cicadas. They turned it into a game. This ticked me off because we were paying them a lot of money and there’s my kid picking up cicada carcasses. lol She seemed to enjoy it with the other kids.
Where Michigan Cicadas Will Appear
The very most south and eastern corner of Michigan will see some Brood XIII cicadas this spring but the majority of the cicadas will be living it up in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee, and up the eastern coast. canr.msu.edu talks about what to expect and shows how you can tell different cicadas by their colors.
The Farmer’s Almanac Map of Cicadas for 2024
Illinois is about to get hammered by cicadas. Better them than us, friend.
Making summer plans? Our Michigan cicadas shouldn’t hold you up any. Check out some of Michigan’s most beautiful beaches. You may get some vacation inspiration!
Michigan Beaches You Have to Visit This Summer
