ALABAMA

• From late April through June 2024, the largest brood of 13-year cicadas, known as Brood XIX, will co-emerge with a midwestern brood of 17-year cicadas, Brood XIII.
• A co-emergence like this of two specific broods with different life cycles happens only once every 221 years.
• For about four weeks, scattered wooded and suburban areas will ring with cicadas’ distinctive whistling, buzzing and chirping mating calls.
• Once the eggs hatch, new cicada nymphs will fall from the trees and burrow back underground, starting the cycle again.
• It’s no accident that the scientific name for periodical 13- and 17-year cicadas is Magicicada, shortened from “magic cicada.”

Ancient visitors

• Molecular analysis has shown that about 4 million years ago, the ancestor of the current Magicicada species split into two lineages.
• The resulting three lineages are the basis of the modern periodical cicada species groups, Decim, Cassini and Decula.
• The sudden appearance of so many insects reminded them of biblical plagues of locusts, which are a type of grasshopper.
• During the 19th century, notable entomologists such as Benjamin Walsh, C.V. Riley and Charles Marlatt worked out the astonishing biology of periodical cicadas.

Acting in unison

• This increases their chances of accomplishing their key mission aboveground: finding mates.
• While periodical cicadas largely come out on schedule every 17 or 13 years, often a small group emerges four years early or late.
• Early-emerging cicadas may be faster-growing individuals that had access to abundant food, and the laggards may be individuals that subsisted with less.

Will climate change shift Magicicada clocks?

• As glaciers retreated from what is now the U.S. some 10,000 to 20,000 years ago, periodical cicadas filled eastern forests.
• Today there are 12 broods of 17-year periodical cicadas in northeastern deciduous forests, where trees drop leaves in winter.
• Because periodical cicadas are sensitive to climate, the patterns of their broods and species reflect climatic shifts.
• Although periodical cicadas prefer forest edges and thrive in suburban areas, they cannot survive deforestation or reproduce successfully in areas without trees.

• In the late 19th century, one Brood (XXI) disappeared from north Florida and Georgia.
• Climate change could also have farther-reaching effects.
• As the U.S. climate warms, longer growing seasons may provide a larger food supply.
• This may eventually change more 17-year cicadas into 13-year cicadas, just as past warming altered Magicicada neotredecim.
• We hypothesize that this was due to climate warming.

John Cooley receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society. Chris Simon has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, the National Geographic Society and the New Zealand Marsden Fund.

• WASHINGTON, April 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today,  Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman , head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s more than 33 million small businesses, recognized the 2024 Phoenix Award winners for outstanding disaster recovery efforts by a small business, public official, and volunteer.
• “SBA’s 2024 Phoenix Award winners inspire us and remind us that even in the face of disaster, tragedy, or uncertainty, America at its core is about hope, possibilities, and an unwavering commitment to working together to strengthen our communities,” said Administrator Guzman.
• “These honorees represent the power of determination and adaptability,” said Francisco Sánchez Jr. , Associate Administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration.
• Jacqueline was first introduced to the SBA back in 2020, receiving an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) due to the pandemic.

• JACKSONVILLE, Fla, April 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Water Industries announced today it completed the sale of 20 active aggregates operations in Alabama, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia to Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE: MLM) for $2.05 billion in cash on April 5, 2024.
• Blue Water Industries is a privately-held, pure-play construction aggregates producer in the United States, serving some of the fastest growing regions of the Southeast United States.
• Ted Baker, CEO of Blue Water Industries, stated, "We are pleased to entrust these operations to Martin Marietta, an industry leader with strong values and a distinguished safety record.
• Blue Water Industries and its affiliates will continue to operate its aggregates operations in North Carolina and central Florida, as well as its marine terminal business.

• FREEHOLD, NJ, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE:UMH) (TASE:UMH), a real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in manufactured home communities, announced today that it has published its 2023 Sustainability Report.
• Aaron Potter, Vice President of ESG, commented, "UMH' sustainability is inherent in its mission of providing quality affordable housing.
• We are also dedicated to smart and conscious environmental initiatives that create value and enhance the communities where our residents live.
• UMH also has an ownership interest in and operates two communities in Florida, containing 363 sites, through its joint venture with Nuveen Real Estate.