A buzzing cicada symphony will soon fill Illinois’s trees as periodical cicada broods XII and XIX are due to emerge from the ground in May and June. The simultaneous emergence of the Great Southern brood and the Northern brood only occurs every 221 years, making this spectacle a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
To mark this rare occasion, the Field Museum is hosting a series of cicada-centric events to celebrate these magnificent bugs that are coming to us by the trillions. Sign up below to be the first to register for cicada insect pinning, meet our cicada scientists, and more!