Saint Charles Park District Naturalist Pam Otto says the cicadas are coming, but don’t fret about the arrival of Brood 13. According to Otto there’s been a lot of hype about two different broods emerging at the same time, but there is really very limited crossover of territory between them. You may see and hear more cicadas than a normal yearly emergence, but Otto says it won’t be a cataclysmic event.
Otto concluded her remarks with a light-hearted “cicada” song adapted to a Beatles melody and finished with kazoo accompaniment to help put the audience at ease for the upcoming cicada event.
2024’s emergence of two different broods of cicadas in the same year is unusual, but no cause for alarm according to Saint Charles Park District Naturalist Pam Otto who was this week’s Rotary speaker. Brood 13 (locally) and Brood 19 (further south) will both emerge this year, but Otto showed Rotarians a penetration map indicating little overlap between the two (mainly in the central Illinois area). “It’s not a cicada apocalypse,” said Otto.
Otto explained that a brood is made up of several species which emerge at the same time. Over centuries, cicadas developed a timeline for hatching to disorient their predators by emerging on regular cycles while staying buried underground over multiple years. Brood 13 is made up of three distinct species of cicadas. The cicadas emerge as the ground warms to their desired temperature which will probably be in the next several weeks.
Once the cicadas emerge, they will begin a mating ritual according to Otto. The male cicada seeks to attract a female using its “tymbal,” a membrane rubbed to produce a species-specific sound. The sound is amplified through its shell that acts like a sound chamber. The female uses a winged motion to acknowledge her suitor, creating a sound similar to snapping one’s fingers. The life cycle of a cicada is only a couple of weeks. Females lay eggs in slits made in tree branches. After hatching, the cicada drops to the ground, burrows into the soil, and hibernates to await its appropriate timed emergence.
Otto gave a few thoughts on cicada’s impact on the environment. She said it is common to see “flagging” where a branch holding eggs has a die-back reaction and turns brown as if it were broken . There is soil aeration caused by the multiple cicadas burrowing for hibernation. The decaying bodies of the large die-off can have a fertilizing effect. And Ott pointed out that the cicada can become the meal of choice for birds and other predators that ordinarily might eat caterpillars, helping increase the butterfly population during their emergence period.
May 5, 1862 – Mexican troops under General Ignacio Zaragoza, outnumbered three to one, defeat the invading forces of Napoleon III in the battle of Pueblo which forever after is celebrated as a national holiday; Cinco de Mayo (Fifth of May).
May 5, 1961 – Alan Shepard becomes the first American in Space. His Freedom 7 spacecraft travelled in space for 15 minutes and 28 seconds. In a subsequent flight in 1971 he would become the fifth person to walk on the moon.
May 6, 1937 – The German airship Hindenburg bursts into flames and crashes while mooring at Lakehurst, New Jersey killing 36 of the 97 passengers and crew and effectively ending commercial airship travel.
May 10, 1869 – The transcontinental railroad in the U.S. became a reality with the driving of the ceremonial golden spike at Promontory Point, Utah joining the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads.
Birthdays & Club Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Jim Walter
November 6
David Hamilton
November 14
Dorothy Stoddard
November 14
Bob Hammon
November 25
Join Date
Michele Jurkovic
November 2, 1998
26 years
Donald W. Clayberg
November 28, 1984
40 years
Jeff Keicher
November 30, 2005
19 years
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 2024-2025
President – Steve Wilder
President Elect – Jonelle Bailey
Director (President Nominee) – Becky Springer
Director (President Designee) - Matt Nelson
Past President – Brandon Diviak
Treasurer – Dr. Michele Jurkovic
Secretary – Pat Shafer
Sergeant at Arms – Paulette Renault
Monthly Committees
July: Board of Directors
August: Brandon Diviak, Jeff Keicher, Pat Shafer
September: Dave Hamilton, Jeff Jacobson, Jim Stoddard
October: Paul Callighan, Matt Nelson, Paul Stromborg
November: Sue Emberson, Jeff Frank, Phil Meyer
December: Larry Berke, Ray Dembinski, Riley Oncken
Fellowship: Paulette Renault, Larry Berke, Sue Emberson, Dave Hamilton, Pat Shafer
Foundations:Paul Stromborg, Jim Buck, Sue Emberson, Matt Nelson, Jim Stoddard
Membership: Jonelle Bailey, Ray Dembinski, Brandon Diviak, Bob Hammon, Jeff Jacobson, Steve Kuhn, Phil Meyer, Matt Nelson, Riley Oncken, Jeff Petersen, Bob Wildendradt
New Generations: Chip Houdek, Julie Sgarlata, Becky Springer, Steve Wilder
Public Image: Bob Brown, Paul Callighan, Jeff Keicher, Joyce Klein, Tasha Sims
Scholarships:Tim Neubert, Don Clayberg, Ray Dembinski, Michele Jurkovic, Steve Kuhn, Julie Sgarlata
Service: Brandon Diviak, Alicia Cosky, Jeff Frank, Michele Jurkovic, Rob Mondi, Tim Neubert, Brendan Wilson
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