Periodical Cicadas (Brood XIV) in Asheville, NC, June 2008

Periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) are grouped into broods based on the year of emergence. Brood XIV of the 17-year periodical cicadas emerged in 2008. Steve Norman, EFETAC research ecologist, captured some unique images as he observed the activities of the adult cicadas in Asheville, NC.  

Having spent their 17 year life in virtual isolation underground, periodical cicadas emerge for a few short weeks of singing and mating before they die.

This female periodical cicada lays her eggs on a black locust branch. Although the black dot in the center of her blood red eye looks like a pupil, it is not. Cicadas, like other insects, have a honeycombed compound eye structure that is much different than ours.

Having mated up to several days earlier, this female periodical cicada deposits eggs in this black locust tree using her long black ovipositor. It has sharp knife-like edges that allow her to cut through the bark and outer wood toward the center of the branch where she lays a V-shaped line of eggs before moving to a new site farther down the branch.

Sunny trees in suburban areas often appear hardest hit because female periodical cicadas prefer these as egg laying sites. While most hardwoods provide suitable sites for egg-laying, the dieback on oaks, known as flagging, is especially notable, due to their tendency to hold their leaves longer than other tree species as is also seen in fall or early winter.

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