Forestcast Special Episode: The Two-sided Story of Periodical Cicadas

Release Date

May 5, 2021

Any day now, periodical cicadas will emerge across 15 states stretching from Illinois to New York and northern Georgia.

Two scientists, one who’s tracked the aboveground movements of these cicadas, and another who’s unearthed the belowground impact of these insects, take you inside the many mysteries and forgotten elements of these evolutionary enigmas.

Meet the Scientists:

Andrew (Sandy) Liebhold, Research Entomologist, Morgantown, WV
Mac Callaham, Project Leader/Research Ecologist, Athens, GA

Archival Recordings

Magicicada Chorus, Brood X. Recorded in New Jersey by Dan Mozgai (cicadamania.com) (2004)

Environmental Education Resource

Cicada Safari - smartphone mapping app

People

Person

Andrew M. Liebhold, PhD

Research Entomologist

https://research.fs.usda.gov/about/people/andrew.liebhold
Person

Mac A. Callaham, PhD

Team Leader/Research Ecologist

https://research.fs.usda.gov/about/people/mac..callaham

Publications

Geunho Kye, Jonathan Machta, Karen C. Abbott, Alan Hastings, William Huffmyer, Fang Ji, Andrew M. Liebhold, Julie C. Blackwood. 2021. Sharp boundary formation and invasion between spatially adjacent periodical cicada broods
Walter D. Koenig, Andrew M. Liebhold, Andrew M. Liebhold. 2005. Effects of periodical cicada emergences on abundance and synchrony of avian populations
Julie C. Blackwood, Jonathan Machta, Alexander D. Meyer, Andrew E. Noble, Alan Hastings, Andrew M. Liebhold. 2018. Competition and Stragglers as Mediators of Developmental Synchrony in Periodical Cicadas
Walter E. Koenig, Andrew M. Liebhold. 2013. Avian predation pressure as a potential driver of periodical cicada cycle length
Andrew M. Liebhold, Robert L. Griffin. 2016. The legacy of Charles Marlatt and efforts to limit plant pest invasions

External Publications

Last updated December 3, 2025