We spent Memorial Day weekend in Southern Illinois, and these cicadas greeted us. My cousin told me that these are 13 year periodic cicadas. Further investigation found an article from Scientific American that also calls them the "Great Southern Brood" or brood XIX. The article notes that you can eat them and compares them to asparagus. My cousin's husband as well as my husband described them as buttery and creamy. No thanks....I'll pass...
13 year periodic cicada near Marion, IL
Empty shells shed by the emerging cicadas were everywhere.
This one didn't quite make it out of his shell
A newly emerged cicada. My husband woke me up at 6:30 am to take this picture. He told me that there was one that was a better one, but they were scooby snacks for the dogs. They ate every one that they were able to get a hold of.
