A person's hand holding two cicadas - big insects with red eye and black body with large clear wings - on a leaf
A participant in the cicada walk at Bald Eagle State Park on June 7, 2025, shows two periodical cicadas on a leaf. Photo: Anne Danahy / WPSU

The woods in central Pennsylvania are alive with the sound of cicadas

Anne Danahy·
ConservationWild PennsylvaniaWildlife

This story is part of our series, Wild Pennsylvania. Check out all of the other stories in the series here. 

You may have heard them in parts of Pennsylvania or seen them buzzing around — periodical cicadas have emerged and in some places, including Bald Eagle State Park in Centre County, they’re out in force. And they’re loud. 

“This is Brood XIV. They are the star of the show and already making a whole lot of noise over there in our trees,” said Michelle White, the environmental education specialist at Bald Eagle State Park with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. 

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A periodical cicada on a trunk of a tree. It has a black body, red eyes and large wings, outlined in orange, with clear panels.
A periodical cicada from Brood XIV on a tree at Bald Eagle State Park in Centre County on June 7, 2025, after emerging from 17 years under ground. Photo: Anne Danahy / WPSU

On Saturday, White led a small group on an educational walk through the park with an eye — and ear — on periodical cicadas.

The cicadas had been underground for 17 years. When the temperature was right — about 64 degrees — they emerged.

“The male cicadas are the ones that are making all the noise trying to get a girlfriend,” White said. “Once they get a mate, the female starts to lay eggs.”

A young woman in a khaki uniform holds a blade of grass with a brown thing at the top between her fingers in an outstretched hand, standing outside. Another hand is in the corner of the photo.
Michelle White, environmental education specialist at Bald Eagle State Park, shows a cicada exoskeleton during an educational walk on June 7, 2025, to learn about — and listen to — periodical cicadas from Brood XIV. They emerged this year after spending 17 years under ground. Photo: Anne Danahy / WPSU

After a lesson on cicadas’ life cycle, it was time to find more of them.

“Let’s see if we can take a walk over and check out these cicadas up close,” White said.

And with that, the group of adults and children was off. Known as clumsy flyers, cicadas are likely to buzz right past you — or into you.

“Oh, no, I have a hitchhiker,” White said as one landed on her.

It didn’t take much effort for White and some young assistants to collect a few in a small tent-like mesh container.

A girl in a ponytail stands holding a netted cylinder on her knees while a boy in a red shirt holds cicadas in his hands against the trap.
Jordan Ray and Beau Sager collect cicadas (later released) during an educational walk in Bald Eagle State Park on June 7, 2025, to learn about — and listen to — periodical cicadas from Brood XIV, which emerged this year after spending 17 years under ground. Photo: Anne Danahy / WPSU

Beau Sager had already honed his cicada skills before the tour. 

“I had a huge box full of them,” he said.

He helped Jordan Ray, another future entomologist, fill the bug bag with cicadas — later released.

“He can fit in there. He’s small enough,” Sager said, as he helped fill the bug bag.

A young boy in a red shirt stands in a grassy area with two cicadas crawling on his hands.
Beau Sager shows some of the cicadas he found at Bald Eagle State Park on a walk in the park on June 7, 2025, to learn about — and listen to — periodical cicadas from Brood XIV, which emerged this year after spending 17 years under ground. Photo: Anne Danahy / WPSU

As the group walked farther down the trail, the sounds got louder.

“The most cicadas are going to be in the vegetation, they’re going to be in the trees calling to each other,” White explained.

After emerging from the ground, it takes the cicadas four to five hours to shed their exoskeletons, stretch their wings and buzz off.

“If you look in front of us, you can see all of the exoskeletons on the ground. They are just everywhere,” White said. 

White then pointed out small holes in the ground. 

“These are all ‘turrets.’ These are all cicada holes,” she said.

A clump of brownish shells in the shape of cicadas dangle from a leaf on a tree.
A clump of cicada exoskeletons found during an educational walk in Bald Eagle State Park on June 7, 2025, to learn about — and listen to — periodical cicadas from Brood XIV, which emerged this year after spending 17 years under ground.

Once the cicadas emerge from their homes in the ground, they mate, the females lay eggs and the adults die. Those eggs hatch and the immature cicadas, called “nymphs,” drop and burrow into the ground, where they’ll be for another 17 years.

White said the idea behind the tour was to give people an immersive educational experience.

And bugs, she said, often get overlooked as short-lived.

“These cicadas are a testament to how complicated, interesting, unique and long lived bugs can be,” she said.

Cicadas are usually around for about four to six weeks after emerging. So, there’s still time to see and hear cicadas in June at Bald Eagle State Park and in some other counties in Pennsylvania. 

You can also mark your calendar. Brood XIV will be back in 17 years.