Brace yourself for the influx of cicadas this summer

This time of year is one of my favorites, filled with the constant melody of birds singing, whether it’s the early morning or afternoon. I cherish the extended daylight, with dusk not arriving until around 8 p.m., painting the sky with hues of gold and pink. The blossoming flowers and the delicate leaves peeking through the tree branches add to the enchantment, making it one of the most breathtaking seasons.

However, along with the beauty come the insects and bugs that mark this time of year. Among them, the cicadas stand out, their rhythmic buzzing reminiscent of lullabies during camping trips. What starts as a single cicada’s song soon transforms into a symphony, echoing through the night and even into the daytime. This year, their chorus may be amplified due to reports of trillions of cicadas emerging across 16 states.

It is the red-eyed periodical cicadas that will be emerging from their underground slumber. They lie dormant for years only to appear in the masses to blanket the southern landscape. They are different from their cousins, who come out annually. The University of Connecticut expert cicada expert John Cooley refers to it as the “cicada-geddon.” Cooley said the last time it was recorded was in 1803 in Thomas Jefferson’s Garden Book, but he called this locust.

One report said the average number of cicadas per acre would be around one million in numerous states.

It marks a rare occurrence as two different cicada broods emerge simultaneously across southern states, their cacophonous buzzing heralding their unusual 13 or 17-year cycles aligning. It is a prediction that is hard to grasp; it may be challenging for those opposing these hard-shelled insects.

Mississippi State University Extension Service entomologist Blake Layton said there are 24 types of cicadas in the state. There are about 20 species of annual cicadas.

The annual cicadas send out a loud buzzing sound, that we’ve all heard. However, songs they send out are affected by weather fluctuations. The cicadas like the warm sunlight, not too hot or too much coolness. Maybe if we have a hot summer the buzzing will not be as bad.

Despite the apprehension, some, like my daughter Emily and brother Bobby, are excited about this emergence. Brace yourselves for the influx of cicadas; it’s a once-ina- lifetime spectacle for us Southerners, witnessing these remarkable insects that surface only once every two centuries.

As Georgia Tech biophysicist Saad Bhamla aptly put it, “It’s like an entire alien species living underneath our feet and then some prime number of years they come out to say hello. It will truly be a sight to behold.”