Thread by @blog_supplement

I've been surveying brood X in a 2 sq km region that I walk through by foot. For some reason they are not doing well so far. The emerge alright from their 17 year underground larval development from those holes and molt. You can see the molts lying about

They proceed to their final molt usually alright

However at least about 1/5-1/4 seem to fail and die even as they are emerging from the molt.
In the 1st pic the one to the right has died while molting. In the 2nd pic 1 had died while emerging and is being scavenged by ants.

Many that do molt successfully fail to inflate the wings properly and die a little later: Here are two that have met such an end.

A minority successfully reach the state where they can start singing: Here is one of those rare surivors. Why is this happening? I examined 100 or so & don't see obvious signs of Massospora mycosis. The colder nights several days back could be invoked. However, even in the past

2 days with good weather/high temps many are still struggling & we hardly hear any of their noise. Wonder if some other pathogen is infecting them. Will have to watch as the temperatures look up.

Reemergence of prime-number Cicadas starkly impress on you the passage of time -- may be the 2nd law too? Victories &defeats against the backdrop of aging. As our ancestor said: kAle ha vishvA bhUtAni kAle chakShur vi pashyati ||