52K views · 359 reactions | 2024 Cicada Invasion UPDATE from Western Springs, IL! They are starting to FLY now! It’s been five days since we were here and the 17 year-cicadas are a lot more active. Thank you all for watching, commenting on, and sharing all of our cicada coverage over the last few weeks. It’s been great to see all of your photos and the fun people are having with this. Are you seeing any in your area?! | Marcus Leshock | Facebook

The call of annual cicadas is a familiar sound on hot, summer days. Males are best known for their incredibly loud mating calls, created by a specialized sound-producing organ known as the tymbal that is located on the abdomen. As adults, cicadas have a fairly short lifespan and have only a few weeks to mate and lay their eggs. Despite the loud sound, their cryptic camouflage makes them incredibly difficult to spot, especially when calling from a tree or other vegetation. Have you been able to c