Mia chortles, “Good morning, Pip! It’s time for a new adventure.”

“I’m awake and ready, Mia!  Good morning.  Where are we going today?”  Pip wonders.

Pip, the deer mouse lives in the hollow of a majestic bald cypress tree within the Watercolor Woods.  She loves to explore the woods with her closest friend, Mia the blue jay.

Mia’s stomach growls, “I’m hungry.  Let’s start by foraging for breakfast.  We can gather fresh nuts and berries to eat.”

“Sounds yummy!  I am as hungry as a wolf.” Pip giggles and rubs her belly.

With a mouthful of berries Mia’s says, “Do you hear that buzzing noise, Pip?”

Pip sniffs the air and listens, “Yes.  It’s really loud this year.  I think it’s the sound of the periodical cicadas.”

“They must be tunneling from their burrows, and surfacing this year,” Pip adds.

“Oh!  That’s right!”  Mia makes a funny face thinking, “This year is…. Ummmm… they call it…. The double brood emergence!”

Pip, standing tall on her hind feet in excitement squeaks, “This is going to be incredible!”

Mia nods, “Exceptionally significant!  That’s how I describe it.  Exceptionally significant!”

Mia explains, “Two groups of cicadas emerge from the ground in the same summer.  One is the 13-year cicadas, and the other is the 17-year cicadas.”

Pip bounces with excitement, “We have to see them, Mia!”

“I hear voices on the trail,” Mia exclaims.    “Look, Pip!”  It’s Ember the Owl, Earl the Squirrel, and Rosemary the Rabbit.”

Overly excited, Pip rushes to their friends, “We are going to see the cicadas!”

“Would you like to go with us as citizen scientists?” Mia asks. “We can observe the cicadas, collect data, and record their behavior.”

Rosemary claps her paws, “Count me in!  I think cicadas are fascinating.”

“This is a rare opportunity.  Count me in too!”  Ember smiles.

“How about you, Earl?  Would you like to study the cicadas with us?  Pip asks.

“Yes.  I wouldn’t miss it.”  Earl chatters.  “Let’s go!”

Mia stops on the trail, and tilts her head to listen, “We must be close.  The chirring sound is getting loud.”

Earl gasps and points, “Look!  There is one emerging from the ground.”

Ember hoots, “Everywhere I look, they are popping up from the ground around us.”

“Oh!  They are beautiful!”  Rosemary observes.

Mia notices, “The nymphs tunnel their way out of the ground.  And, look!  They are climbing the trees.”

Ember realizes, “Watch them on the tree trunk!  Look at that!  Some of them are already shedding their exoskeleton.”

Rosemary moves closer, “This one shed its skin.  The wings are beautiful.  Oh, the color darkens as the wings dry.”

“Oops!”  Pip giggles.  “That one tickled my nose when it flew away.”

Ember wonders, “Do you see how they communicate?”

“Their sound travels like a drum echoing in the air!”  Mia observes.

Earl is in awe, “Fascinating!  I wonder what they are saying?”

Glancing at each other, the group giggles.

Mia, still giggling, “Let’s meet here every day for observation.  The cicadas will stay four to six weeks before they disappear.”

They each agree.  Meeting each day, the friends take notes, observing the behavior and patterns of the periodical cicadas.

Mia’s amazement continues, “I never realized there is so much to learn about cicadas.”

“I think we are experts on the cicadas now,” Pip proudly proclaims.

Soon, the double brood emergence ends, and they watch the last of the nymphs dig tunnels to their new, underground homes for the next 13 and 17 years.

Rosemary sadly says, “Goodbye cicadas. We will not see you for many years.”

Ember reminds her, “This is the end of our adventure, but tomorrow brings new adventure here in the Watercolor Woods.”