Brood XIII Magicicada Introduction

Well after a two year break from the absence of Periodical Cicada emergences anywhere in the United States, and this being my official fourth year in studying Cicadas (A lot has happened since 2004), I am happy to report that this year will be the year for Brood XIII!

I have learned a lot from my first experience with Periodical Cicadas. So much so, that I have made a gaggle of new friends both personal and professional all involving this amazing insect.

Distribution Mapping of Brood XIII - Professor John Cooley works for the University of Connecticut's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in Storrs Connecticut. They received a grant from National Geographic for conducting behavioral and distribution mapping of Brood XIII in the mid-west. I'm sure that was no easy tasks because the eligibility requirements are tough.

I was asked if I would like to come along to help with this project. I of course, jumped at the chance! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. One which I cannot afford to pass up.

Starting at the end of May, I will be with John and others helping on this important project. I will have my laptop computer along with high-tech tools so that I will be able to still do regular updates to the web site from the field.

Entomology-Cicadidae Group Meeting - During the emergence of Brood XIII, somewhere in the mid-west, a lot of the cicada enthusiasts who are members of my Cicadidae group are in fact planning to meet. People like Lester Daniels who runs the Great Lakes Cicada Page, Roy Troutman, who has contributed many photos and videos to this web site, Dan Century of Cicadamania is going along as well. Also my close personal friend, Joe Green who has sent me tons of cicadas from Florida and other southern points will be there.

While I'll probably be busy with John Cooley's group and the mapping project, I am hoping to break away for a few days to meet up with a lot of people from the group. I'm really looking forward to it.

Come along with me as I document my adventure out in the mid-west. This promises to be a fun experience as I have never drove cross-country before.

I will be adding a lot of photos, movie clips and even distribution maps which I will be trying to plot out daily. You will see this information scattered throughout my trip. Look for links to distribution maps, photos and movie clips scattered throughout this section as I cover the Brood XIII periodical cicada emergence.