When will cicadas really emerge in Chicago area? When to expect them to peak
Yes, cicadas have started emerging in the Chicago area and parts of Illinois already, but that's only the beginning.
According to experts with the Insect Asylum, peak emergence is expected to arrive in mid-May for the Chicago area.
Sightings have already been reported so far, but there are many factors that will determine when cicadas will begin coming out of the ground en masse.
Cicadas typically emerge as the ground begins to warm in the spring and early summer, meaning mid-to-late May and into June.
"The periodical cicadas have been emerging for the last week and a half," Stephanie Adams, plant pathologist at Morton Arboretum in Lisle, said Tuesday of Brood XIII
which will soon overspread across the entire Chicago area. "We found them both out here in our landscape and also in our East woods."
According to Adams, the emergence of the first cicadas comes about two weeks ahead of the historic average.
It will continue to be sporadic, however, as soil temperature, mulch and turf grass all impact cicadas differently.
For example, the soil is warmer near pavement, so cicadas in the those spots are expected to emerge quicker.