The cicadas carcasses that had invaded Ohio are turning into one of the most powerful natural fertilizers

In recent weeks the city of Cincinnati (Ohio) has been literally invaded by millions of cicadas emerging from the ground

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

In recent weeks, the city of Cincinnati (Ohio) has been literally invaded by millions of cicadas emerging from the ground. This is a rare phenomenon, which only happens every 17 years (the last time it was in 2004).

The arrival of these animals is a rare event, which happens every 17 years. However, this is not a migration, but rather a 'birth': in fact the larvae of this species of cicadas, after waiting in the ground for 17 long years, come out all together to reproduce and die within a few weeks - the their life is very short, especially if related to their permanence in the cocoon. 

Compared to the normal cicadas that migrate every year and have a density of two per square meter, these particular cicadas have a hundred times greater density: they arrive in massive quantities to surprise and overwhelm their predators - in practice, even if subjected to predation, their species survives anyway for the very high number of individuals. Many of these small animals have already died and the rest will die in the next two weeks, but in doing so they have offered another precious gift to the inhabitants of the area: their carcasses, in fact, rich in very important nutrients for trees and plants, will act as natural fertilizer and they will help nourish (naturally) the vegetation present in the area.

All the nutrients present in the thousands of cicadas we have seen in recent days will end up in the soil - explains the professor Gene Kritsky of Mount St. Joseph University. - This is especially good for those trees that have gathered mountains of carcasses at their roots.

Unfortunately, cicada carcasses do not decompose easily: it takes time for the decomposition process to end and often the carcasses give off a bad smell.

Their role in the ecosystem is very important. While they reproduce, in fact, cicadas create positive conditions also for the environment that surrounds them: by depositing their eggs in the ground, they create holes that allow ventilation; provide large amounts of food for predators, especially spiders; their decaying carcasses represent a 'natural' fertilizer for trees and plants. Their presence does not cause any kind of problem to the ecosystem, but it must be said that they can be quite noisy with their buzz during the day, especially in areas where there are many trees. Five days after their appearance, in fact, they begin to 'sing' to attract a mate and reproduce.

After mating, the female cicada leave their eggs in the branches of the trees and soon, when autumn pushes the leaves to fall, the larvae will hatch and fall into the soil. By the end of July the eggs will hatch, the larvae will fall from the branches of the trees and take refuge in the ground - by the New Year period, the cicadas will be 25-30 centimeters below the ground level, and patiently wait for 17 years to pass before coming out.

@ EU Cincinnati

Source: US Cincinnati

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