My 2021 Cicada Safari

Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait until I was 100 years old to experience a real, live Brood-X Cicada emergence. With minimal online research I was able to plan out our cicada safari.

The charming town of Princeton, New Jersey is only about an hour’s drive away. Known for its university, colonial history, museums, and dining, we were making our first outing to Princeton for something else; the 2021 Brood-X Cicada emergence. Lucky for us, something else Princeton is known for, the lovely parks and nature preserves, paired up nicely for our little safari.

Knowing from my research we could find several cicadas at the Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, we headed straight to it. We had acres upon acres of wooded area with several miles of comfortable unpaved trails through the woods and around the lakes. The beautiful wooded trails met us at the parking lot. We heard the singing cicadas immediately. We saw dozens flying overhead. This was going to be even better than I imagined.

My daughter’s first experience a couple of weeks ago had been that of annoyance and repulsion. Here, though, we were meeting these creatures in a beautiful and welcoming natural setting. The weather was divine. Sunny and cool, perfect for a walk in the woods. We both enjoy nature walks and hikes, this was that, with the bonus of the once-every-seventeen-years nature occurrence. Weather, surroundings, and the good company; who could ask for more. Have to say, I feel most appreciative of my daughter’s good natured accommodation. She is not a fan of the insects and questioned my interest and enthusiasm, but still took time to drive and accompany me on this little quest of mine. She was a good sport to walk under overhanging tree branches filled with dozens of cicadas clinging to the leaves.

My every wish was realized. I wanted to see them, hear them, and take pictures of them. And I wanted to share the experience in real time with someone whose company I enjoy. Done, done, and done; all boxes checked off! Bonus was the lovely surroundings and seeing a new nature trail. We saw other people walking their dogs, who stopped to greet us. We even saw a beautiful sandhill crane standing on the wall around the lake. I do love seeing sandhill cranes! Next to the crane were four turtles lined up on a nearby felled log. Perfect.

photo credit: Rachel Stein

Photo credit: Rachel Stein

Photo credit: Rachel Stein

I was struck by how precious and lovely life is. The Universe had given me everything I asked for that day. I had asked, received, and appreciated all of it.

There was one more thing I wanted.

I wanted a selfie with a live adult cicada. I had no idea what that meant. I tried standing next to leaves with them perched on. The result was mediocre at best. I was pondering and at the same time accepting that the right opportunity would present itself. I wanted something that would have me involved in a non-invasive way. I didn’t want to aggressively pick one up and then snap a picture. What happened next was getting what I wanted, landing on my shoulder.

While we were walking under a cavelike canopy of branches, I felt something scratch my back and I instinctively put my hand on whatever it was. Bringing my hand around, I saw I was in fact holding a live cicada. I asked my daughter to quickly take a video. At first I was holding it oddly with my hand also at an odd angle. I was busy adapting all the positions that would be comfortable for us both and safe for the cicada, and hopefully provide a good photo op. While I was repositioning, he was too. I kept a relaxed hold so as not to squeeze too hard. He also felt slippery. Our encounter was short lived, but one my daughter and I will remember.

Life is good.

(the end)

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