Brood X

You may have heard about the 17 year Cicadas that are appearing across the eastern US this year. Brood X (or "Brood 10" for those that don't read Roman).

As it happens, we are outside of the emergence zone. So they are not a yard critter.

They aren't even a state critter (yet).

We, along with our friend Marie, went to Tohickon Valley Park in Pennsylvania  this past Tuesday evening to see them. 

For a variety of reason, we had not been able to get out and see these critters. And as they don't spend much time in adult form time was running out. So when a friend told us they were at this park we decided to go. Despite the hour drive and the threat of thunderstorms.

And storm it did, on the drive up and when we arrived at the park.

We waited for the storm to pass in a park pavilion, the sides of which had evidence of the Cicadas.

And once the rain abated we ventured out, and quickly found them

Including some recently emerged like the one shown above. We did not find any freshly emerged individuals, those still white in color though. Bummer.

And while the where not everywhere and covering the trees, thanks to the rain I guess, there were plenty in the foliage. "Here's one", "here's one", "here's one",  was our refrain, with the occasional "here's two" to break up the monotony.

And the twosomes were why they were there. To mate, then lay eggs, and start the 17 year clock ticking again.

And then the rains came. And we headed on home. 

Happy that we had decided to go, bad weather forecast and all.

Until 2038 ...