CRESTWOOD, Mo — Students at Harry S. Truman Middle School studied the exoskeletons of cicadas today. Thousands of shells lie around the school, its trees, and its courtyard.

“I did a little bit of research and found that there was a citizen science project on Cicada Safari,” says 6th grade science teacher Allycia Uhrhan. That app allowed the students to clearly record the data they were able to gather while walking around the school grounds.

They found exoskeletons all over the school’s property. 6th grade student Ivy Smith enjoyed the experience.

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“It was cool. We were supposed to, like, write down stuff on, like, a clipboard of things we saw, like the shells and like the cicadas,” she said.

Smith says she likes cicadas now that she’s learned so much about them, including how they make that gutteral chirping sound they are famous for: “I held one for maybe 30 minutes, and he just kind of sat there.”

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“They actually don’t have teeth at all. their mouth parts are just for eating the xylem of plants, like vascular tissue,” Uhrhan said.

For the first time since the late 1800s, 13- and 17-year-old cicadas are hatching simultaneously. That means North America will see a lot more of them than usual.

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“They’re fascinating creatures, so that we can dispel some of those fears. I had kids who were terrified, and then kids that ended up being like, ‘oh, they actually are pretty cool,” uhrhan said.

Experts say the cicadas may completely disappear around the fourth of July, when they burrow back underground and begin feeding on plant roots.

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