I've been stitching some cicadas lately. This year is going to be a big one for the screaming bugs!
For those interested in making their own cross stitched cicadas, the patterns are available for sale here and here! (Please note: my software skills mean that I had to freehand the AAAAAs rather than place them in the pattern itself, so those are not included in the patterns. This does mean that you can make these little guys uniquely your own and add any sort of scream that you'd like, though!)
As you may have heard, there are TWO periodical cicada broods that will emerge between late April and June of this year! This particular combination only happens once every 221 years.
The broods in question are the Illinoian Brood (XIII) and the Great Southern Brood (XIX). The map below is a rough approximation of where sightings are most likely to occur:
There is very little overlap between the broods, so - if you want to experience both - I recommend planning at least two different stops. You should be able to find all seven species by traveling just a few miles north and south of the cities of Springfield, Bloomington, Kankakee, or Beardstown in Illinois, or the city of Mt Pleasant in Iowa.
The University of Connecticut has a handy online guide for identifying all 7 species of periodical cicadas. Note that most species can only be identified by the pattern on their belly. For bonus points, try to find and photograph them all! 😄
Its the year of the Cicada! So I decided to design a new tattoo for the occasion! >:) I hope everyone enjoys it! This was definitely a super fun challenge for me!
Day 10 of Invertober, the Periodical Cicada also known as the 17-year cicada.
These guys have a life cycle from 13-20 years, impressive for such a little guy. They are typically known for emerging every 17 years, hence the nickname.