Cicadas in concert

Cicadas, shown in Virginia in this 2004 photo, will make their 17-year appearance in the Chicago area in a matter of weeks.

From 1 p.m. to 3 p.

m. June 9 the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County will host an educational program about the insects and their unusual lives at Fullersburg Woods. And in the throes of cicada season a Cicada Daze Open House will be held on multiple weekends.

Call the education center for more information at 630-850-8110. For more information about the Cicada Citizen Science program, call 630-850-3722 or visit www.dupageforest.

com. "They emerge when the soil temperature becomes 64 degrees and that happens in mid-May, but with the weather we've been having recently, that could happen sooner," forest district entomologist Tom Velat said.
And when they do surface, the forest district is looking to citizen scientists to help chronicle the 17-year phenomenon.

An informational session will be held 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook to teach interested citizens identification and recording methods to document the emergence in their own backyard.

The forest district is looking to compile information on where, how many, when and what type of cicadas emerged throughout the county.
"Nobody kept records like this in the past," Strang said.
"We're going to keep good notes this time so 17 years from now in 2024 when the next generation emerges we'll have a little more knowledge on what to expect," he said.

All it takes is a good set of ears.

Of the three types of cicadas, only two are partial to this region: Magicicada septendecim and Magicicada cassini. Expect to see more of the latter, which can be found as dense as 1.

5 million per acre, Strang said. They will be found in low forested areas near rivers and lakes.
The former is the larger of the two species, measuring in at approximately 2 inches and will be found as many as 300,000 to an acre in dryer upland forested areas, Strang said.

Both are black bodied, boat-shaped insects with orange veined wings and red eyes.
When the soil temperature is right, cicada nymphs will emerge from the ground and shed their exoskeletons, revealing wings.
The males will fly to trees where they will "sing" to attract a mate.

"Cicadas sing only during the day so hopefully we won't loose any sleep," Velat said.
Female cicadas will then punch small holes in tree twigs and trunks and lay as many as 600 eggs. About six weeks later the eggs hatch and the newborn cicadas fall to the ground where they burrow for another 17 years, starting the cycle all over again.

Each cicada species has a different telltale song that Strang is hoping citizens will be able to differentiate and record as part of the Cicada Citizen Science program.
"Some neighborhoods might only have a small number of cicadas and might not even know they're there unless they are listening for them," Strang said.