Now that the solar eclipse has passed, the next big natural phenomenon in Wisconsin will be the emergence of Brood XIII periodical cicadas in late May and June. These insects last emerged in the state in 2007 around the time that Steve Jobs was releasing the very first iPhone. While there were some reports of out-of-sync “stragglers” a few years ago, 2024 will be the year of their big emergence. Since these insects emerge every 17 years, you might only have a handful of opportunities to see them in the Badger State in your entire life. Despite having grown up in southeastern Wisconsin and turning 40 next year, I still have not witnessed an emergence myself and I’m really looking forward to this year’s activity.
With all the “buzz” about these amazing insects, I recently developed a new Wisconsin Periodical Cicada Website: cicadas.wisc.edu. This site covers the biology, ecology, and distribution of these insects, with lots of photos, audio recordings, cool historical videos, and other resources.
I also wanted to get a clearer picture of where these insects occur in Wisconsin. This winter, I dug through 150+ years of books, newspaper columns, university and government reports, and specimens in our very own Wisconsin Insect Research Collection to develop an updated map for the state. While this map is an improvement over older ones, there’s still plenty to learn about the local distribution of these cicadas in Wisconsin. To that end, I also launched a community science project on the website for participants to submit their own sightings from the state. It’s a brief fillable form and photos can be uploaded right from your phone, tablet, or computer—no app required. I’d love to receive any reports of periodical cicadas from Wisconsin this year to help improve our map of them in the state.
If you’re a cicada enthusiast and have a lot of reports to share, feel free to contact me via email (pliesch@wisc.edu) to discuss other arrangements. If you’re unsure if you’ve spotted a periodical cicada, check out the website’s Cicada Basics page or reach out for assistance at the UW Insect Diagnostic Lab.
Lastly, if you’re hoping to see and experience the periodical cicadas for yourself, your best bet would be to visit the Lake Geneva area in June. This part of the state has a very long and well-established history of periodical cicada activity. There’s also an updated Wisconsin map and a summary for each county on the periodical cicada website’s When and Where page. Previously, much of this information was buried in the literature, so the Wisconsin Periodical Cicada Website offers a unique look at the known distribution of these insects in the Badger State.
Check out cicadas.wisc.edu for additional details and get ready for all the buzz this spring!