They're here! This spring of 2021 is the big one. Brood X, a group of periodical cicadas that emerge every 17 years, are now tunneling out of their long dormancy and populating the Miami University campus. They are making known they have arrived as they can be heard singing in the trees. They are known to be one of the loudest insects in the world. Cicadas' intentional sounds of clicking and chirping are their mating call. So enjoy the music!
Cicadas emerge from the ground as nymphs. Nymphs climb the nearest available vertical surface and begin to shed their nymph exoskeleton.
As mentioned, cicadas are attracted to trees for mating purposes. Cicadas actually don't eat trees leaves or branches. Instead, they create slits in tree branches to lay their eggs.
After females lay their eggs, they die. Once those eggs hatch and the nymphs fall to the ground, they then start digging burrows to go back underground for 17 more years.
Cicadas are mostly beneficial. They prune mature trees, aerate the soil, and once they die, their bodies serve as an important source of nitrogen for growing trees. When cicadas come out, they're eaten by just about anything with an insectivorous diet.
https://miamioh.edu/news/top-stories/2021/05/yoshi-tomoyasu-on-brood-x-cicadas.html
© 2026 Miami University