Garden Detective

Photo by Bill Davis

Ever notice how most years, you only see a few cicadas. And you don't hear them chirping all that much? And then other years you find their discarded exoskeletons on everything from gas grills and swing sets to front doors and mailboxes? Ever notice how those are the years when it sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock movie outside your window every night around, say, Memorial Day?

That's because after cicadas lay their eggs, their offspring take 17 years to mature and emerge from their underground homes. Once they finally see the light of day, the males chirp their mating calls like crazy, do the nasty and die within weeks, leaving behind another batch of buried eggs that will make its presence known 17 years from now.

This brood -- Brood XVI -- is a really big one. It's expected to emerge in 13 states along the east coast, New York among them.

Though they look like scary, nasty, prehistoric beings out for blood, cicadas are completely harmless. They look like they'd bite or sting, but they do neither.

The problem is that because of their sheer numbers, sometimes in the millions, they can wreak havoc on trees and shrubs, kinda like locusts. If you just planted any young trees, you might want to protect them with some netting until around July 4.

Personally, I'm going to enjoy them while I can. They won't be back until 2025.

Map of anticipated cicada activity

Read more: Complete cicada coverage from Newsday.