‘Cicadapalooza’ Makes Noise In Lake Geneva

Posted on by akabelowsky
Photo showing dozens of recently emerged cicadas rest on a tree trunk at Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva on May 30, 2024.

Dozens of recently emerged cicadas rest on a tree trunk at Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva on May 30, 2024. / Photo Credit: Sarah Wolski, Wisconsin DNR

By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Forest Health Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167

Brood XIII periodical cicadas apparently love Lake Geneva. The Wisconsin hotspot for Brood XIII has again been the resort city of Lake Geneva, located just a few miles from the Illinois border. It experienced Wisconsin’s first emergence of the insects’ latest 17-year cycle on May 17. Cicadas remained active – noisily so – through late June.

The city of Lake Geneva, joined by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Entomology department, celebrated the insects’ return with Cicadapalooza, a family-friendly, free pop-up event on June 8 that included guided walking tours, presentations by UW-Madison entomologists, cicada merchandise, food and more.

The red-eyed insects are unique for many reasons: their unusual colorings, their rare but well-timed appearances and the extremely loud sounds males produce using the tymbal muscles of their abdomens.

The event, held at the Lake Geneva Public Library and Library Park, featured guided walking tours of the Maple Park Historic District, including a stop at the historic Pioneer Cemetery, which has ideal conditions for periodical cicadas.

UW-Madison professor Dan Young, director of the Wisconsin Insect Research Collection, and UW-Madison Extension entomologist P.J. Liesch gave cicada presentations, the library displayed books and other resource materials and cicada, insect and nature-themed displays were offered.

Here are some cicada photos taken by Sarah Wolski, manager of Lake Geneva’s Big Foot Beach State Park.

Photo showing emerging cicadas forming a pile on the ground at Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva on May 30, 2024.

Emerging cicadas form a pile on the ground at Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva on May 30, 2024. / Photo Credit: Sarah Wolski, Wisconsin DNR

Phoito showing cicadas — including white insects, a sign that they’ve just emerged — getting their bearings on a tree trunk at Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva on May 30, 2024.

Cicadas — including white insects, a sign that they’ve just emerged — get their bearings on a tree trunk at Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva on May 30, 2024. / Photo Credit: Sarah Wolski, Wisconsin DNR

Photo showing cicada pupae forming a huge pile at the base of a tree in Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva on May 30, 2024.

Cicada pupae form a huge pile at the base of a tree in Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva on May 30, 2024. / Photo Credit: Sarah Wolski, Wisconsin DNR

Photo of a cicada, still white because it has just emerged, resting on a tree trunk at Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva on May 30, 2024.

A cicada, still white because it has just emerged, rests on a tree trunk at Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva on May 30, 2024. / Photo Credit: Sarah Wolski, Wisconsin DNR

 

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