Get a FREE educational workbook of activities from the Friends to Cicadas.
Want to contribute to scientific research? Download the Cicada Safari app to help map the locations of the periodical cicadas. All it takes are a few photos, and you’re on your way to being an entomologist, contributing to a comprehensive index of periodical cicada maps.
Check out the super slick Washington Post’s scrolling, interactive, 3D tour of a periodical cicada’s life cycle.
Concise, gorgeous, and informative, BBC’s high-quality video is one of my favorites.
Though not specific to the periodical cicada, National Geographic’s video is one of the best in explaining how their tymbals work. If you can’t access their article, this video is also pretty good
If you want more of a deep dive into the world of periodical cicadas, check out Gene Kritsky’s Periodical Cicadas: The Brood X Edition. Fun fact: Gene was one of the entomologists that helped fact check the activity book.
No cicada resource is complete without Cicada Mania. It’s densely packed with information, and I especially appreciate what they have about the nymphs before they burrow into the ground for 17 years, which is hard to find.
Read about cicada symbolism in China.
Fascinating research about the periodical cicadas’ impact on the predator population. Hint: They reproduce more because of the abundance of food.
Want even more science? Explore one of my favorite combinations of nature, science, and art with Bird and Moon comics.
To welcome the Brood X periodical cicadas of 2021, I created a hands-on, educational activity book, Cicadas Don’t Scream, that teaches about the insects through comics, activities, and build-your-own 3D models. I’ve been delighted to share my enthusiasm for this fascinating, natural, insect phenomenon, and overwhelmed by the response to the book. Over 500 copies of the book have been sold, and it was even mentioned in the Washington Post!
We couldn’t do it without your support, and after poring over endless amounts of periodical cicada resources, I wanted to share the best of the best with you.
