In 1996, when I was 12, I remember when the 17-year cicadas hit New York. They were more of a nuisance than anything else. You can hear their humming all night long. And when they all died en masse, their shells were everywhere.

Now, they’re coming back to the East Coast!

TATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – One of nature’s more mysterious cycles will reach its climax in late spring and early summer, as the 17-year cicadas sprout from the ground, sing their way to buggie love and plant the seeds for their next emergence, in 2030.

 

And while this year’s infestation won’t be as big as 1979, due to the increased development on Staten Island, the Mid-Island and South Shore should still have a “good showing,” according to Ed Johnson, the director of science at the Staten Island Museum, where an exhibit dedicated to the insects had its opening preview party Friday night.

Alas, I am in Texas, and will miss this biblical plague. But now everyone has a smart phone so they can take pictures. That wasn’t a thing in 1996!