They hatched already!?! Is this species different than the ones we see every summer? They usually dont hatch until late June to Mid July. Odd...........

Yep, they're different. They come every 17 years. When I was planting earlier in the spring, every shovel full of dirt had cicadas working their way up to the surface.

Here is a link that might be useful: All about the 17 year periodical cicadas

I didn't realize how colorful they were. Those a great pictures. We don't seem to have as many each year either. Another bug I haven't seen this year at all are the daddy long legs. Not a single one.

Thanks for the link...I didn't realize they existed only in the eastern US...I had them confused with the locusts/grasshoppers. Interesting that there are still things biologists don't know about them...guess they are excited to have them emerge for new research! josh

There was an interesting piece on NPR today about this 17 year event. Pretty amazing. Also, some people consider them good to eat!

Great shots, Ellen