As summer approaches and the ground starts to warm up, trillions of cicadas will begin to emerge along the East Coast. Most of Maryland will not see the insects but St. Mary’s County will hear their signature buzzing noise.

Two types of cicadas only emerge periodically. Brood XIII, known as the Northern Illinois Brood, emerges on a 17 -year cycle while Brood XIX, known as The Great Southern Brood emerges on a 13-year cycle. The Great Southern Brood runs from Georgia to parts of Maryland. Based on previous emergence records, The Great Southern Brood will emerge in St. Mary’s County. The last time the two broods emerged at the same time was when Thomas Jefferson was president.

The insects are large and make a loud buzzing sounds when they fly.

“I know it can be too much sometimes to have this swarm of big insects, so it’s understandable that not everybody is a fan,” said Rafael B. de Andrade, an assistant professor of environmental studies at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. “But they are harmless, they are harmless to plants, to trees, and they provide a lot of food for birds and reptiles.”

In 2021 Brood X emerged from their 17-year cycle. They could be seen all over Maryland in the trees, flying in the air and on the ground. They buzzed around for a couple of weeks before disappearing and won’t be seen again until the 2030s when their babies will emerge.

Experts predict that the emergence of the Great Southern Brood will be more sporadic and patchy in Maryland this year, unlike the emergence in 2021. Other parts of the country will experience much larger swarms.

For more information about this years cicada emergence please see The Baltimore Banner.

If you would like your county featured in Fun Facts, please get in touch with Amanda Grosskrueger at agrosskrueger@mdcounties.org.