Maryland Says Goodbye To Cicadas, Welcomes Brown Tree Branches

BALTIMORE, MD— In case you haven’t noticed, cicadas are officially gone. After eight weeks of the "bottomless supply" of droning insects in Maryland, the Brood X cicadas have left for another 17 years.

But they wouldn’t be cicadas without leaving something behind to remember them by.

The tips of tree branches are turning brown as a result of flagging from female cicadas. Before their departure, the female cicadas cut "train track like patterns" into tree branches to lay their remaining eggs.

The branches are turning brown because the cuts stop sap and water from reaching the end of the branch, killing it.

According to WTOP news, the cicadas seem to only lay their eggs in thin, small tree branches. The cicadas’ damage to the branch does not harm the rest of the tree.

The laid eggs will remain in the branch for about a month before they hatch, fall from the tree, and go underground. They will reappear in 2038, 17 years from now, and the cicada mania will begin all over again.

Brood X periodical cicadas, also known as the Great Eastern Brood, are only found in the eastern United States. Maryland was at the epicenter of the May and June 2021 emergence, as Patch readers shared in many photographers.

Related:

• Cicada Invasion Photos From Readers: Cute Kids, Pets Meet Bugs
• Day Two Of Cicada Photos: Hitchhikers, Typists And Gardeners
• Cicada Invasion Day Three: Readers Share Up-Close Photos
• Day Four Of Cicada Invasion: Cheering On A T-Ball Team And More
• Cicadas And Old Bay: Marylanders Find Creative Uses For Insects

Their sound is one distinguishing characteristic.

"Male cicadas produce the loudest sounds in the insect world," according to the National Park Service. "Entomologists believe that the sound protects these insects by hurting predators' ears."

The emergence of the insects en masse is also believed to help protect against predators.

Once they are fully grown, male cicadas "sing" their mating call to attract females in a volume that is comparable to a lawn mower, leaf blower or chainsaw, officials say. Females will click in response.

For about a month, cicadas were above ground before mating and dying. The females burrowed into tree limbs to lay her eggs. Trees may be damaged unless they are protected with cheese cloth.
Once the eggs hatched, the tiny white nymphs fell from trees and burrowed underground, where they will live until 2038.