Photo credit: Holly Menninger

It’s been quite awhile since we shared links on a related theme with y’all and since we’re in the midst of some self-induced cicada-mania, we thought we’d share a bunch of great reads that recently caught our eyes (and ears) related to the emergence of the Brood II periodical cicadas – Enjoy!

  • When Cicadas Fall in Love: Alan Burdick of the New Yorker writes about the dynamic cicada research duo, John Cooley and David Marshall, and their quest to understand the courtship of periodical cicadas. Says Cooley, “Almost any year you can find periodical cicadas, you just have to pick up and go to them. I think of it as being the ultimate groupie.” Oh, we are so totally groupies.
  • We Paved Cicada Paradise: Emily Badger of The Atlantic Cities investigates how the clear-cutting of forests and woodlots to make way for subdivisions and strip malls will affect the long-term survival of 17-year cicadas.
  • Science Needs Your Dead Cicadas: After learning about our new Urban Buzz citizen science project, Emily Badger followed up with a nice post about our efforts to document some of the subtler, long-term effects of urbanization on cicada populations. Bonus graphics: See some of the traits we’ll be using to measure cicada “crookedness.”
  • Return of the Cicadas: Ok, so not a read but a gorgeous short film by Samuel Orr about the life cycle of the periodical cicadas – The actual emergence footage is no short of stunning.
  • Here, Cicadas Get a Warm Welcome: In the NY Times, Patricia Leigh Brown writes about a magical 90-acre patch of forest in Connecticut, the world’s only preserve dedicated to the conservation of Magicicada septendecim — a place where soon over 1 million cicada nymphs will emerge from the ground.

What have you been reading and listening to on the cicada-front these days? Please share – We’d love to hear your suggestions!