Working for a bug badge
Apr. 26—RUSHVILLE — Girl Scout Troop 3713 took the month of April to work on earning a new badge. This one badge might give some individuals the willies — the Bug Badge.
The idea of bugs did not stop these local girl scouts. The scouts learned about the soon to return Brood X Cicada and many other interesting local bugs.
Scouts had a fun day making bug crafts, playing bug games and even had buggy snacks.
The highlight of the day was the making of the bug hotel to hang in the park near the Girl Scout Cabin.
According to livescience.com, every 17 years, the billions of periodical cicadas that make up Brood X turn their attention from tree roots to the sky. In the spring of 2021, after nearly two decades of development underground, the insects are ready to dig their way out of the earth across the eastern United States.
A periodical cicada, like those in Brood X, is a cicada whose lifespan is based around a prime number — a number that can't be divided by another whole number. Only found in the eastern United States, periodical cicadas develop underground for 13 or 17 years before emerging for their month-long reproductive frenzy and subsequent deaths.
The scouts now have their badges and are waiting to experience the return of the Brood X Cicada over the next few weeks.
Contact Aaron Kirchoff at aaron.kirchoff@greensburgdailynews.com
