Cicadas seemed to pop up overnight from little holes in the ground in New Jersey.
The insects, which emerge every 17 years, are the offspring of cicadas that were here in 1996.
“First thing this morning, we came out and they were all over the place, all over the newly planted bushes, trees,” says David Hadley of Summit, N.J.
Suzanne Currie was walking her golden retriever when she first spotted a cicada in her front yard.
"We noticed he stepped on one, and then we looked up at the trees and said, 'Here they come. The cicadas are here,'" she said.
Billions of cicadas are expected to emerge up and down the East Coast this summer, making a distinctive clacking sound used in mating.
“I remember last time the whole area was full of the sound,” says Jake Rabb, also of Summit. “It was amazing.”
The females lay thousands of eggs in tree branches that hatch into tiny nymphs. While the insects can damage small trees and shrubs, they’re best known for simply making a mess.
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