Cicada Journals May 21, 2006 - Summer Introduction
5/21/06 - The 2006 Summer Season of Cicadas Is Almost Here!
Well, sort of. I thought I would put some stuff on the web site now, since it is almost time for the Cicada season to start. What can I say? It's been a busy winter. If you are a first time visitor to this site then I must say welcome. To give you an idea of what this web site is about kindly choose the About This Cicada Site link to the left. Then to give you more information you can always consult the Cicada Journals in order to see what was done in 2005 and also 2004.
In addition, in the left-hand column are links to other cool sources of information on this site about cicadas and some special projects I am involved with. That should be enough to get you up to speed. Also please feel free to send an email by using the method below and to the left under the "Contact Me" section.
Welcome Back Regulars!
If you are a regular visitor to this web site, you will notice the cool countdown script I have running in the left-hand column (Note: if this page has been archived then the countdown script is on the cicada home page) . It's a countdown script indicating the number of days left until the arrival of Brood XIV in Massachusetts. That's right, our state is reported as one of the states to have the 17 Year Periodical Cicadas (Magicicadas). Last time this brood was seen here was in 1991. To be honest I don't remember them but then again, I live in an area of Massachusetts where they don't appear. If you clicked the links above, you will see that Brood XIV will appear in Massachusetts along the South Shore, probably along the Cape and points South.
Unfortunately, there has been a lot of construction in that area over the past 17 years so it may be possible that they've been wiped out. Next to Brood X down in the Mid-atlantic area of the United States, Brood XIV is the second biggest brood encompassing many different states again mostly in the mid-atlantic region. If you noticed from the linked distribution map above, it seems that Brood XIV skips over Connecticut and Rhode Island. I find this very unusual. Who knows? Maybe Brood XIV never really made it up this high. It will be interesting to see how things shape up the closer we get to their emergence. You can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be there ;)
What's On The Agenda This Year?
1). Distribution Mapping - For Valentine's Day I got this cool hand-held GPS which is going to come in handy this summer because I plan on continuing my distribution mapping efforts to try and map the species of Cicadas found in New England. Last year I spent a lot of time in Connecticut and I need to go back again this year. Suffice it to say, everywhere I go I always listen for the sounds of the different cicada species. So it will be convenient to cover the areas I explore. Who knows maybe within a year or three I'll have all of Massachusetts and Connecticut covered. There really isn't that much information on the distribution of Cicada species in New England. I managed to find a couple of data-points for Massachusetts in a list of records from John Zyla of Cicadas.info and I also have a copy of a paper by William T. Davis which discusses the distribution of Cicadas in Connecticut also from John Z. These data-points and the paper were written in the early part of the 20th century so the data really needs to be updated.
2). Okanagana rimosa In Massachusetts - Again, like last year I will be continuing my hunt for the Okanagana species in Massachusetts. In 2004 I found a cast-off exuvium in Bedford Massachusetts and was the only exuvium I've found to date. However, I do believe I heard them out in the western part of Massachusetts last year but I really don't have much experience with the male calling song, that is why it is so important for me to keep trying. The tough part in finding them is that O. rimosa is known to be "proto-periodical" with heavy emergences in some years and light/sparse emergences in others. I think its just a matter of hitting it right. One of the first things I learned when hunting and catching cicadas is to cover the same areas where you find the cast off nymph skins. In this way you will eventually be successful when finding Cicadas.
3). Tibicen chloromera in Connecticut - Mike N. and I will be continuing our distribution mapping of T. chloromera as well as the other cicada species found in Connecticut. Last year, I heard a T. linnei in one area that I want to re-investigate this year. In addition, it is still a mystery as to why the majority of T. chloromera that we noted last year only seemed to be on the western side of the Connecticut river with only a few satellite males noted on the eastern side. (All of this in Hartford County by the way) It may be that when we investigate further south on the eastern side of the river, we may find established populations there.
4). Tibicen chloromera in Massachusetts - As you may remember, last year on August 10, I reported that I heard a T. chloromera male calling in my own yard for two days. This was amazing because T. chloromera is not known to be here in Massachusetts. While it was the only one heard, this one was probably just a satellite male. How it got way up here is anyone's guess (though I do have a theory). My yard is approximately 82 miles north of a well established T. chloromera population in Connecticut. I will get an early start this year (around July 4th) to see if I can hear them along the southern border between Connecticut and Massachusetts. Another interesting thing about T. chloromera is that it seems to be extending its range not only in Connecticut but John Cooley and David Marshall, both of UCONN Storrs wrote a paper back in 1996 about possible range extensions in Michigan. Maybe there is something significant going on here.
5). Sexual Development in Tibicen lyricen males - For the last few years since I've been studying cicadas, I have noticed something very interesting but can't quite figure out how to prove it. Tibicen lyricens emerge from the ground in early July. They don't start to sing however until 8 to 10 days later. What is happening during this time period? I have been going back to the same areas every year and have noticed this trend. For example: If I find emerging T. lyricen males in area "A" I will return to area "A" while observing more emerging T. lyricens. None of these early emerging males start singing until 10 days after I have seen the first noted emerging specimens. This is assuming that the males that emerge actually stay in the area of their emergence.
I have discussed extensively last year with the fine learned folks at UCONN Storrs and this characteristic has been noted in Magicicadas. They too will emerge but not start singing until about a week later.
If anyone can suggest how to track a cicada remotely, I'm all ears. Please, let me know. :)
6). Cicada Killers in New England - Like last year, I'm going to study that colony of Cicada Killers (Sphecius speciosus) that I was told about at Pine Grove Cemetery. Last year, I was able to wrestle ten stung Cicadas away from the female Cicada Killers. I figured this year I'd do it again and see if these Cicada killers will bring in a different species other than T. canicularis or T. lyricen. If you suspect that you have Cicada Killers where you live, please contact me using the "Contact Me" link in the left hand column. I figure the more colonies I find and study, the better my chances of finding a different species cicada here in Mass. Once a Cicada Killer colony has been established in your area they will stay in that area year after year because the offspring from the previous years stay there. So once you get them, short of digging up the ground or doing something like poisoning the area, you can rest assured that they will return.
Well, that it for this year's agenda. As usual there will be lots of pictures and movies and sound files like previous years. I even got a new camera so things should be pretty good. Stay posted.
