Many people in the nation, including some of us in Virginia, are prepared for a historically large cicadas invasion this spring.
Dr. Richard Groover, a retired George Mason professor, stated, “This year we are having the great southern emergence which is primarily occurring south of Virginia through most of the southern states.” Regarding cicadas, Dr. Groover is your go-to person.
“We are having some, for example, here in Hanover County and seeing some emergence coming out today, and for the next few days, they will continue,” Groover stated.
He is a co-author of a book about cicadas from 2021. presenting these and other related insects to the public. The historical emergence of this year, however, is far more significant than the one observed three years prior.
“For the first time in 200 years, that’s when Thomas Jefferson was president, we are seeing both Brood 13 and Brood 17 emerging at the same time,” Groover stated.
This may be, to put it mildly, an inconvenient period for us humans. These insects have the potential to be as noisy as a lawnmower when they first emerge. However, this will augment the diets of the local animals.
“The animals in the area are having a buffet. Birds are eating them other mammals are eating them. There are even some people that occasionally eat them. I don’t encourage that,” Groover stated.
Although cicadas don’t taste like potato chips, they do offer some nutritional benefits.
“There’s more protein in one of them than a comparable piece of steak,” Groover stated.
