January 1, 2005 (Vol. 25, No. 1)
URL:
http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fauna/Michigan_Cicadas/Periodical/Index.html
Rating:
Strong Points: Interesting reading
Weak Points: Not very organized
Summary:
I guess we can all breathe a sigh of relief that we’ve survived another outbreak of periodic cicadas. As noted at this informative site, cicadas, of course, are flying, plant-sucking organisms whose “songs” make them one of the noisiest insects on a summer night. Synchronized groups of these emerge in periodic long life-cycles of 13 and 17 years. This past summer marked the latest emergence of many individuals in the 17-year cycle. At this site, you’ll discover interesting facts about these unusual organisms, such as that they apparently avoid having predators partly due to their unusual life cycle.