Cicada shell (Photo by Michelle Campanis)
Periodical cicadas are rare. Of the roughly 3,400 cicada species on earth, only seven of these live underground as nymphs for 13 or 17 years and all are found in eastern North America. These true bugs are bland as nymphs burrowed underground but emerge as loud colorful adults with red eyes and golden wings.
While the cicada’s emergence only happens periodically, it seems to be happening regularly in Tennessee. The fact is that there are 15 different populations called broods. In 2021, it was Brood X that thrilled us. Last year it was Brood XIX and this year it’s Brood XI and each year it’s in different locations.
Join the UT Arboretum Society via Zoom on Thursday, May 1, 7 p.m. EDT as Michelle Campanis, education coordinator at the University of Tennessee Arboretum, and naturalist/author Stephen Lyn Bales present an overview of these bodacious bugs. The First Thursday Nature Supper Club presentation is hosted by the UT Arboretum Society each month. The class is free, but you must register to receive the Zoom link and recording. Register here under Programs.
Closed captions are available. Please contact Michelle at mcampani@utk.edu for any questions or registration issues.
To contact Stephen Lyn Bales or buy one of his UT Press books, email him at hellostephenlyn@gmail.com.
The UT Arboretum Society celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2025; to learn more about the Arboretum Society, go to www.utarboretumsociety.org.
Melanie Staten is a public relations consultant with her husband, Vince.
