The Cicadas....

Greetings, I think we are just starting past the peak of the cicada activity. I see no new larvae coming out from the ground. They are now flying, singing, mating and dying. This is a great time to contribute to science by helping to document them! We have 3 different species in Brood X and the Maryland Biodiversity Project (MBP) is making efforts to document them all around the state. The best way to doument them is by submitting photos through the iNaturalist app on your phone. When photographing them, be sure to take a view of the top as well as the bottom of the insect. This is easy to do since so many are dead on the ground now. All 3 species look different underneath. If you go to this link on the MBP website, "https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/viewChecklist.php?genus=Magicicada", you will see the 3 species at the top of the list. You can click on each one to see their photos and how they look different. The one called Cassin's 17-Year Cicada, is obviously smaller than the other two and has a completely black abdomen as seen in the photo above. Thank you in advance for contributing to science! Sue

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