Categories: CommunityEvents/What's HappeningFestivalsNews

Brood XIV Cicadas Emerge in Louisville, Kentucky

Cicadas emerging from the soil in Louisville park.

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News Summary

After 17 years underground, Brood XIV, known as the ‘Bourbon Brood’, has emerged in Louisville and southern Indiana. Billions of cicadas are active, filling the air with their distinctive mating calls. Major sightings have been reported in Louisville, Cincinnati, and Lexington, with activities documented by local residents. This natural phenomenon offers a unique educational opportunity for families to engage with nature during the cicadas’ brief life above ground. Residents are encouraged to report sightings and share photographs to help track this event.

Louisville, Kentucky

The highly anticipated emergence of Brood XIV, also known as the “Bourbon Brood,” has occurred in Kentucky and parts of southern Indiana after spending 17 years underground. Billions of cicadas are now active, creating a distinctive atmosphere as their males emit loud mating calls.

Major sightings have been reported in cities such as Louisville, Cincinnati, and Lexington. Local resident Darrin Belcher documented this emergence by capturing photographs of cicadas at Veterans Park on May 15, providing visual confirmation of the cicadas’ arrival. Evidence of cicada activity, including burrow holes and abandoned shells, has also been observed at Ashland Park.

Cicadas create emergence holes that resemble small dime-sized openings scattered across the ground in a pattern akin to Swiss cheese, notably without surrounding dirt mounds. In areas experiencing wetter conditions, cicadas may form what are referred to as “cicada chimneys” to manage potential water ingress into their burrows.

Upon emerging, cicadas seek vertical surfaces to land on, where they will harden and inflate their wings to prepare for flight while avoiding predators. Residents in the area are encouraged to report cicada sightings and share photographs via Google Forms or email, contributing to tracking and documenting this natural phenomenon.

This emergence marks the first appearance of Brood XIV since 2008, as this brood follows a cyclical pattern of reemerging every 17 years. The cicadas are primarily concentrated in central and eastern Kentucky, with additional reports coming in from surrounding states including Tennessee, Ohio, and Georgia. The life of these cicadas above ground is relatively short, lasting only a few weeks, after which they will die and decompose, enriching the soil with key nutrients.

The mating ritual involves male cicadas producing their characteristic buzzing sounds to attract female counterparts, who will subsequently lay their eggs in tree branches. To safeguard new tree plantings, it is advisable to postpone planting until after cicada emergence, as the egg-laying process can potentially harm young branches.

During their nymph stage, cicadas primarily feed on sap from tree roots, and as adults, they do not consume foliage. Following hatching, the young cicadas fall to the ground, burrowing back into the earth to continue their lengthy 17-year developmental cycle before reemerging once again.

Biodiversity experts recognize the emergence of cicadas as both a natural phenomenon and an educational opportunity, encouraging families to engage with nature during this distinctive season. Individuals are also urged to utilize tracking apps such as Cicada Safari and iNaturalist for recording cicada data and further enhancing understanding of these insects.