Whether you're ready or not, the cicadas have arrived. However, peak emergence hasn't occurred quite yet.
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County posted a picture on Facebook Monday, showing cicadas shells hanging from a fence at an area under construction at the Willowbrook Forest Preserve in Glen Ellyn. The shells are the first sign of cicadas' arrival. When cicada nymphs first come out from the ground, they climb up to a tree or another high place and shed their shells.
"It's kinda cool," said Jennifer Rydzewski, an ecologist with the forest preserve. "I think bugs are really neat. They are underappreciated, and to see this phenomenon of nature happening in real life, it's a real treat."
Forest Preserve District Project Manager Matt Adams discovered the cicada shells while walking the property. The insects happen to be some of the first of the 17-year-periodic cicadas to be spotted above ground in the Chicago area.
The bugs that have already emerged might not be with us any longer, though, according to experts.
"I have been really excited for months," Rydzewski said. "It's such a rare occurrence to see millions of these cicadas coming out. They are not going to harm us. It’s a feast for the local animals and provide a lot of nutrients for the ecosystem to keep going."
You might be wondering why some cicadas have already appeared - while others haven't yet.
Local
When and where the bugs surfaced might have a lot to do with the black fencing.
"The periodical cicadas will start emerging when the soil temperature eight inches below the ground gets to 64 degrees," Rydzewski said. "I am guessing because this black fencing is radiating the heat onto the bare soil…It's getting a little bit warmer down in this area, which is why we are seeing a little patch of these cicadas emerging right here."
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
If you are looking for cicadas, you might want to check under every log for the tell holes the bugs will use to make their exit. So when the rest of the cicadas, which are still underground, follow the others into the open, experts say to watch your thermometer and then check your trees.
Experts say to keep in mind that cicadas are harmless.
"They don’t sting or bite, so the best thing we can do is let them do their thing," Rydzewski said. "They are only alive and around for four to six weeks."
