Some of the earliest maps of periodical cicadas in Wisconsin date back over a century. However, early published records were somewhat limited in their value due to their poor resolution (often county-level, rather than specific locations) and erroneous reports. These historic maps are helpful, but don’t paint a complete picture of the distribution of periodical cicadas in Wisconsin. In other cases, locations that historically had periodical cicadas may have lost them over time due to habitat destruction and land-use changes. The long, 17-year life cycles and short period of adult activity (roughly a month) also make it difficult to study and document these insects across southern Wisconsin.
Thus, we still don’t have a full picture of where periodical cicadas currently exist in the state and what their populations are like. By sharing your sightings of periodical cicadas in Wisconsin, you can help UW entomologists better understand these insects in the state.
If you’re a cicada enthusiast and have many sightings, feel free to submit multiple entries of the form or contact PJ Liesch (pliesch@wisc.edu) to discuss.
Thanks for your interest in submitting cicada sightings. The periodical cicada season wrapped up in late June and early July and these insects won’t emerge in Wisconsin again until 2041. We are not looking for reports of dog-day cicadas or other “annual” cicadas at this time.
If you observed periodical cicadas earlier this year and wish to share a report, please contact PJ Liesch at the UW Insect Diagnostic Lab (pliesch@wisc.edu).
Not sure if you saw a periodical cicada? Check out this page to learn how to identify them.
Top banner photo credit: PM Jacoby via Wikipedia. Used under Creative Commons 4.0 license.