They're back!Although the 17-year periodic cicadas are not suppose to emerge in mass in northern Illinois until late May 2007 when the soil temperature reaches approximately 65 degrees this little guy had other ideas--hopefully he finds a mate.
According to entomologists Monte Lloyd and Henry Dybas of the Field Museum in Chicago, northern Illinois is about to experience the largest invasion of cicadas anywhere in the world
These love-bugs only exist to find a mate, lay their eggs and burrough underground for almost a generation. You'll recognize them by their translucent brown and black top with lighter reddish brown patterns at the wing bases. Their most outstanding feature is their compound eyes--red with orange major veins.
With as many as 12 million cicadas per acre counted in highly wooded areas and about 133,000 per acre in suburban yards, cicadas can be annoying. However they won't hurt you or your garden. So enjoy these mini miracles of nature because after this bug blast they won't be back for another 17 years.
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