Here’s Where the Cicadas Will Be Showing Up in Tennessee This Spring

The cicadas are coming! The cicadas are coming! Brood XIV is scheduled to begin emerging in Tennessee any day, and whether you react to this news with cheers and fist bumps or fear and loathing depends on how you feel about these red-eyed flying insects that periodically emerge in late spring. Some folks find them fascinating, while others curse their presence and the chorus of incessant buzzing that accompanies them. Regardless of which camp you fall into, this wide-ranging brood will be attending festivals and buzzing around vacation spots across the state for a few weeks this summer. Continue reading to discover when and where you’re likely to encounter cicadas in Tennessee.

Emergence

Cicadas spend most of their lives underground, but once the soil warms to 64°F, Brood XIV nymphs will begin to emerge from their subterranean homes. Their life underground is active, feeding on root sap and growing in preparation for their emergence. Once they reach the surface, the nymph must molt. This process, in which the nymph sheds its rigid exoskeleton, can take hours to complete.

Of the 15 cicada broods, 12 have 17-year lifecycles, while the remaining three have 13-year lifecycles. Brood XIV, which has a 17-year lifecycle and last appeared in 2008, is expected to emerge in Tennessee in the latter part of April, with the southernmost counties witnessing the earliest sightings. Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, and Marion Counties in Southern Middle Tennessee should begin to see the early scouts soon, if they haven’t already.

The thing about cicadas is that once they have emerged, they don’t hang around long: five to six weeks tops. In their adult form, they focus on reproduction. Once they have mated, the female deposits her eggs in a slit in a tree branch and then she dies. If he hasn’t already expired, the male soon follows. So, by the early days of June, that buzzing in your ears is more likely to be tinnitus than a chorus of noisy cicadas.

Brood XIV Tennessee Range

According to the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture map, cicadas are expected in 70 of Tennessee’s 95 counties. Some regions, however, will feel the impact more than others. Memphis, Nashville, and even Knoxville, which is in the middle of a concentration of Brood XIV, are not expected to see large numbers of the red-eyed critters, due to habitat destruction.

“If a 17-year cicada’s tree has been cut down in the last 17 years, there will be no cicadas to emerge from that site,” according to Certified Tennessee Naturalist and author Joanna Brichetto. “Nymphs rely on tree roots for their entire lives underground, so if their food source is removed, they die before they can mature and emerge.”

Furthermore, Brichetto urges us not to net trees or shrubs to protect them from the cicadas. “Nets accidentally trap birds and other creatures, and the weight of the sheeting will damage branches, especially during rain and wind. A few slits in twigs where a mom cicada laid eggs is normal damage that a tree or shrub can deal with, and is usually not even noticeable to humans. Trees and cicadas have co-existed for millions of years,” Brichetto adds.

So, where are you most likely to be ducking and dodging your way around this 17-year brood? With most of Tennessee expecting Brood XIV, odds are you’ll encounter a cicada or two when you venture outside between the end of April and early June.

East Tennessee

One of the earliest East Tennessee gatherings to host Brood XIV, the Dogwood Arts Festival takes place in Knoxville. The festival, on the Performance Lawn at World’s Fair Park from April 25-27, features over 100 art vendors, food trucks, and live music. The festival could see some of the earliest emergents. The following weekend, folks attending the Outlandish Adventure Festival (May 2-3) will definitely encounter Brood XIV as they cycle, hike, paddle, and variously enjoy the great outdoors throughout Knox County.

The Flower and Food Festival (April 18-June 8) at Dollywood in Sevierville will see its share of cicadas. However, if you attend during the final week, their numbers should be waning. Heading back to Knoxville, the Southern Skies Music and Whiskey Festival on Saturday, May 10, will almost certainly encounter Brood XIV. Because cicadas are attracted to loud noises, particularly mechanical ones, the stage acts may experience more than their fair share of attention, thanks to the whir and hum of their equipment.

Middle Tennessee

The mid-state has its share of spring festivals at which Brood XIV will be present. First up is Iroquis Steeplechase (Saturday, May 10). At Nashville’s equestrian rite of spring in Percy Warner Park, haute couture is on display, but this year you’ll want to avoid fashion statements that could easily trap flying cicadas. So perhaps forgo the hat with the fancy netting — unless it’s a veil to protect your face.

The Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival in Portland (Friday, May 9) will be in the thick of Brood XIV. However, vine-ripened strawberries plucked straight off the plant are worth the risk. Attendees at Nashville’s CMA Music Fest (June 5-8) could see a few stragglers, but by the first week of June, carcasses will be all that’s left of Brood XIV, mostly.

West Tennessee

The World’s Biggest Fish Fry (April 19-27) in Paris, located in Northwest Tennessee, may have the first look at Brood XIV in West Tennessee. The festival is a celebration of the region’s fishing heritage. Besides the all-you-can-eat catfish dinners, highlights of the annual event include a parade, live music, and a demolition derby.

Memphis in May International Festival (May 14-17) will undoubtedly experience sightings, though, in fewer numbers. As mentioned, as a consequence of human activities related to urbanization, Brood XIV numbers are predicted to be lower in Shelby County than in past outbreaks. If you’re a barbeque fan, you need to experience Smokeslam, held the same weekend as Memphis in May, where the smokers could very well keep the cicadas at bay.

Don’t live in Tennessee? Here’s where the trillions (yes, TRILLIONS) of cicadas emerging this year are going to show up.