This is Not Happening …

Not here, anyway.

Not within the 30 square yards or so where most of this blog happens. 

Not in the rest of Ridley Township or Swarthmore Borough where Little Crum Creek flows.

And not, as far as I can tell, along Crum Creek from Swarthmore down to the Delaware River.

So far.

So, I traveled about an hour north up the PA Turnpike (I-476) to Green Lane Park in Montgomery County to meet a friend and track down Brood X before it’s “gone”.

Brood X is the generation of Periodical Cicadas (Magicicada) emerging en masse this spring. 

Feeding underground for the past 17 years, cicada nymphs are now surfacing to molt a final time (leaving old skin behind like shells), take wing, sing, mate, and produce a new generation of eggs.

Once hatched, new nymphs will find their way underground to resume the 17-year cycle.

How about you … happened to see a cicada lately?  I’d love to hear where!

Here’s some of what we found at Green Lane Park:

 

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Cool Resources

• Informative & Exciting Video from PBS NewsHour:
  https://youtu.be/HdV-V777JMA 
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• Interactive Description of a Cicada’s Life Cycle from The Washington Post
  (select “Allow audio” for cool sound effects!): 
  https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/interactive/2021/cicadas-lifecycle-brood-x/ 

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