Cicadas: A Once-in-17-Years Surprise

June - July 2025

This spring, our gardens were buzzing—literally—with the emergence of 17-year cicadas, one of nature’s most fascinating events. After spending nearly two decades underground as nymphs, these cicadas surfaced to complete their life cycle, filling the air with their iconic hum and leaving behind a trail of wonder. So why the long wait? Their 17-year life cycle is thought to be an evolutionary strategy to avoid predators by emerging in such overwhelming numbers that many survive simply by strength in volume. This rare timing also helps them avoid syncing up with the life cycles of predators like birds. Cicadas may be loud, but they’re harmless and essential to our local ecosystems. As they emerge and shed their skins, they aerate the soil, prune tree branches, and, after they die, return nutrients to the earth helping gardens and woodlands thrive. Their presence supports a wide range of wildlife, and their story is a powerful reminder of the incredible natural systems happening just below the surface here in the Northeast.