Periodical Cicadas are hard to mistake, with glowing red eyes, black bodies, and amber wings.

These are from 13-year brood XIX, the great southern brood, which is the most widespread of all the 13-year broods, extending from Maryland and Georgia to Oklahoma and Iowa!

Though Magicicadas are easy to recognize as a group, telling the individual species apart is more difficult, since they are all black with red eyes. Their songs are different and there are subtle differences in their coloration. In North Carolina, species present in this brood are Magicicada tredecim, Magicicada tredecassini, and Magicicada tredecula. From the differences in song, I think all 3 species are represented in the images below, but I'm not sure which are which.

The one at left got stuck as it was emerging from its pupal case.

Wake Co., NC 5/8/2011.

For much more information on Periodical Cicadas, see the Periodical Cicada Page and Magicicada.org.

Another individual stuck in its pupal case.

Wake Co., NC 5/8/2011.

Wake Co., NC 5/8/2011.

Adults with the empty pupal cases that they'd just emerged from.

Wake Co., NC 5/8/2011.

Wake Co., NC 5/8/2011.

Wake Co., NC 5/8/2011.

Wake Co., NC 5/8/2011.

Wake Co., NC 5/8/2011.

The songs are like a loud, haunting, alien buzz-saw.

Wake Co., NC 5/8/2011.

Wake Co., NC 5/8/2011.

Wake Co., NC 5/8/2011.

Wake Co., NC 5/8/2011.

No brood was expected in 2010, but a few Periodical Cicadas emerged in May 2010 in the Piedmont of North Carolina. These are from 13-year brood XIX (the big one!), which emerged in 2011, just with their timing off by a year. This one was photographed near Harris Lake; I heard another at Ebenezer Point also on 5/2 and one at Duke University on 5/5.

Wake Co., NC 5/2/2010.

Wake Co., NC 5/2/2010.

This one is from brood XIV of the 17-year cicadas.

Madison Co., NC 5/11/08.

Madison Co., NC 5/11/08.

Carroll Co., VA 6/14/03.

This is from brood IX of the 17-year cicadas.