...that occurs every SEVENTEEN years?
What do YOU think it is?
Gif courtesy giphy.
Nope, sorry...THAT returns every twenty three years, NOT seventeen.
Plus, doesn’t it haunt the lonelier stretches of Florida?
Too far a distance from Illinois, even by flight.
Any other guesses?
If you have, do any of your guesses have names with 6 letters that…
Begin with “Ci”
Have California (ca) in the middle
And end with the Russian word for yes (“da”)
?
If they do, congratulations!
You win this virtual beer!
Gif courtesy giphy.
If they don’t...no problem!
You can still have that beer :)
OK beer handout over.
Where were we?
Oh yes,
The thing that happens in Illinois every 17 years
Image courtesy Benoit Gauzere on Unsplash.
Know what that is?
It’s called a cicada.
(6 letters, starts with ‘ci’, ‘ca’ in the middle and rounded off with a ‘da’).
Fascinating, isn’t it?
Well, even if you couldn’t recognize the image as that of a cicada, you surely know (and have heard) the sound a cicada makes.
If you haven’t, here’s a sample:
Yep, THAT sound.
Drives some people crazy.
Hang on now…
Yep, I can hear you thinking.
Don’t cicadas appear every year?
Yes, they do...some of them do appear every year.
BUT
The ones that I’m talking about…
They appear every 17 years.
Appropriately enough, they’re called Periodical cicadas.
A bit more about these periodical cicadas
These cicadas live for decades.
HOWEVER
They spend most of their lives underground, feeding from certain plant roots.
Every 13 or 17 years (depending on the type) they become active for 4-6 weeks during summer.
And they do this:
The guy is spot on.
They do make a sharply attention-catching sound.
What does that sound mean?
Entomologists suggest that they make three kinds of sounds:
A call to congregate of sorts, depending on the weather.
A call to mate.
A distress call.
Wanna know which sound is which?
Ask an entomologist friend.
If you don’t have one, ask Reddit.
So, why bring this up now?
Well, one of the broods (technical term for group) of 17 year periodical cicadas that are present in Illinois was last active in 2004.
Which means, it’s due to start..well...making some noise this year.
So should we Chicagoans expect to be driven mad by that cacophony this summer?
No, we’re good…
Gif courtesy giphy.
Why?
Well, there are more than one group (‘broods’) of cicadas that are native to Illinois.
The group that becomes active in summer this year is native to eastern Illinois, away from Chicago.
The group native to Chicago doesn’t become active till 2024.
Great! What do we do, now that we know all this?
Well, you have a few options.
Tick it off as one more thing you learned from the Fox in a Box Chicago blog
And yes, our blog does feature some amazing stuff like
Escape room tips and tricks that won’t help you in almost any escape room in the world.
What you can do if the Ghost Face killer is chasing you.
The tale of an escape room that might leave you speechless.
Worth waiting for, amirite?
Amaze your friends with your knowledge of cicadas
Of course, provided none of them are entomologists, in which case they might know this already!
You could also feature this blog on your social media, and ask your friends whether they knew about it or not.
Celebrate the prospect of 3 cicada free years
There’s all kinds of ways you can celebrate.
You can go for a night out. Of course, remember to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
You can go for a Zoom party with your friends.
You can check out the premier escape room in Illinois (yes, we’re open for in-person escapes).
If you wanna really make a party out of your Zoom call, you can check out the option of a live remote escape room.
All the best with your cicada-free years!
Banner image courtesy Tim Mossholder on Unsplash.
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