13-Year and 17-Year Cicadas in Northeastern Illinois

Photographer: Dale HugoSummary Author: Dale Hugo 

In early June I found these cicada holes under a bald cypress tree sapling that was planted by the village where I live in northeastern Illinois. A day later I counted 11 cicada shells on the underside of the small branches on this little tree -- about 8 ft (2.5 m) tall. We actually have two different broods emerging simultaneously -- 17- year and 13-years cicadas. The last time this happened was 221 years ago when President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on an exploratory journey of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase. How do you arrive at that number? Try multiplying 17 times 13. Note that both 17 and 13 are prime numbers.

After we get through the cacophony made by these myriad critters we'll then be serenated by the even more irritating shrill sound made by the annual cicadas that emerge in early July and will be with us until the first frost. Sigh. Lucky us. Photos taken on June 1 (top) and June 2 (bottom), 2024.

Arlington Heights, Illinois Coordinates: 42.0884, -87.9806

Related Links:17-Year Cicadas in 2021What You Need to Know about Periodical Cicadas