Still (mostly) waiting on cicadas in Michiana

 

You've probably seen the articles and the social media posts: the cicadas are here and taking the country by...swarm.

Parts of Wisconsin and Illinois are reporting the loud pests, and reports of Brood 13 cicadas are even buzzing in from Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, just to the west of Michiana. 

So, how many cicadas are showing up in our area? 

As of May 22, the answer is: one. 

One cicada was reported in Niles Township, near Brandywine Creek Nature Park. A picture on the website iNaturalist backs up the claim.

Berrien County is one of the areas in Michiana that could see cicadas from Brood XIII. Cass and St. Joseph counties in Michigan and LaPorte county in Indiana could also see an emergence of the bugs. 

Even though soil temperatures are sufficient for cicadas to emerge, the bugs haven't shown up in numbers locally. 

The abundance of rainy days in May could have something to do with the delay. Cicadas prefer hot, sunny weather with calm winds to sing to their heart's content. That type of weather could be more common as we head into June. 

For now, we'll keep on waiting to see if the cicadas skip over Michiana this year.