The cicada cycleDEPENDING ON one's point of view, Massachusetts has either dodged the entomological bullet or is missing out on all the fun by not having a 17-year cicada swarm of its own.
The state does have the insects, but they're feeding deep underground now, mostly on Cape Cod and the South Shore, and won't emerge until 2008. That's too soon for the insect-phobic but an eon to the eager naturalist. "The cicada is one of the great residents of the earth," exclaimed Chris Leahy, naturalist with the Massachusetts Audubon Society. He likened their appearance to a volcano spewing forth bugs by the billion around Washington, D.C., New York, and 14 other states. "This is not an invasion; it's supposed to happen," said Leahy, whose enthusiasm would puzzle anyone dreading the run to a cicada-laden car or planning an event under the humming trees. They can be scary, these residents of the earth, though they're harmless. They're about 1 1/2 inches long, with protruding fiery red eyes and long wings tinted with yellow and green. They come out in the spring of their 17th year, mate, lay eggs, and die. They're gone by the end of June. There are a dozen broods of 17-year cicadas in the United States, and each is on a different 17-year cycle. This year's crop is "Brood X" -- that X is a Roman numeral 10 -- and Massachusetts is nurturing "Brood XIV," which last made an appearance in 1991. There are also 13-year cicadas, mostly in the South. Bob Childs, a UMass Extension entomologist, said he is looking forward to greeting the class of 2008, describing the insect as "one of the most beautiful rare things in nature." He noted that the United States is the only country that has "periodical" cicadas. But despite their seemingly astronomical numbers, cicadas are losing habitat. Childs said the 1991 emergence was far less than the one in 1974, and he figures that acres of the creatures are permanently entombed under shopping malls, roads, and homes.
Perhaps the loud singing from Brood X is a dirge as well as a mating ritual -- and knowing that, man just might feel fear soften to understanding. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
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