For The First Time In 221 Years, A Rare Double Emergence Of Cicadas Is Expected In 2024 In Missouri
By Beth Price-Williams|Published January 24, 2024
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Beth Price-Williams
Author
A professional writer for more than two decades, Beth has lived in nearly a dozen states – from Missouri and Virginia to Connecticut and Vermont – and Toronto, Canada. In addition to traveling extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., she has a BA in Journalism from Point Park University (PA), a MA in Holocaust & Genocide Studies from Stockton University (NJ), and a Master of Professional Writing from Chatham University (PA). A writer and editor for Only In Your State since 2016, Beth grew up in and currently lives outside of Pittsburgh and when she’s not writing or hanging out with her bunnies, budgies, and chinchilla, she and her daughter are out chasing waterfalls.
It’s shaping up to be an epic year in Missouri. Increased solar activity means we might have the unique opportunity to view the Northern Lights, with the greatest opportunity coming in the fall. Before that, countless Missourians will head outdoors on April 8 to view the solar eclipse. Approximately 22 state parks, and numerous cities, sit in the path of totality. But, that’s just the start. Missouri will see the return of cicadas during the double emergence of cicadas in 2024.
A once-in-a-lifetime event, one that occurs once every 221 years, will take place in 2024 with the double emergence of cicadas in the United States. The last double occurrence was in 1803, and the next will roll around in 2245.
There are two broods of cicadas; Brood XIX emerges every 13 years while Brood XIII appears every 17 years. Once every 221 years, the two broods emerge at the same time.
Only Illinois and Indiana are expected to see cicadas from both of the broods while nearly a dozen states from Missouri to Virginia will see the return of Brood XIX. (Brood XIII is expected to return to Missouri in 2028.)
Although their buzz can get incredibly loud, cicadas aren’t harmful to humans, and they usually begin to emerge from the ground, once the soil warms up, in May, and will remain until the end of June. The cicadas’ reemergence allows them to mate and repopulate.
Cicadas will eventually die after mating. The eggs will hatch into nymphs, and the nymphs will burrow into the ground until they reemerge in either 13 or 17 years to start the entire process all over again.
Periodical cicadas are easy to identify. Cicadas are slightly longer than an inch with three-inch wings that might be described as see-through and red eyes.
Cicadas are relatively harmless to mature trees. However, they pose a threat to younger trees as the females cut small holes into the tree’s twigs and use those holes to deposit their eggs. Netting and cheesecloth can help protect young trees.
These periodical visitors are also a delightful snack for a variety of predators, including bears, birds, raccoons, and snakes. A cicada’s diet predominately consists of fluids from trees.
What do you think of the double emergence of cicadas in 2024? Are you excited to experience a once-in-a-lifetime event in nature? Let us know in the comments! Then take a peek at some of these hidden gems in Missouri that you might want to check out in the coming year.
With all of the spectacular natural events heading our way in 2024, we might want to carry a camera (or keep our smartphone charged) to capture every moment.
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