Will the Cicada-geddon Mean More Copperheads Around Lake James?
In what some are calling the cicada-geddon, the southeastern United States are expected to experience the emergence of trillions of cicadas throughout late spring and early summer.
Technically 2024 is “the year of the bear,” according to the North Carolina State Parks, but it might as well be “the year of the cicadas.”
This spring and summer are expected to bring trillions of cicadas to the southeastern United States. For the first time in two hundred years, dating back to when Thomas Jefferson was president, Brood XIX and Brood XIII will emerge simultaneously.
Cicadas typically live for 13 or 17 years, depending on the particular brood. These harmless bugs spend most of their lives several inches below the surface emerging for several weeks to eat tree sap and plant juices, partner, and reproduce.
And this year they are going to appear in biblical proportions.
Cicadas Are Incredibly Beneficial to the Ecosystem
You probably know them best for their raucous noise-making at night, strident attempts by males to attract mates.
Despite their clamor—“obnoxious” or “charming,” depending on who you ask—cicadas are incredibly beneficial to the ecosystem. They provide boundless food for wild animals, from fish and birds to turtles and raccoons. You may even find your dogs and cats feasting on their protein-rich bodies.
They’re safe for humans to eat, as well, inspiring some, well, interesting recipes.
This abundance of easy-to-grab food means many animal populations will be eating well this year. You can expect to see more birds than usual, for instance, due to the increased food supply.
With birds gorging themselves on cicadas, however, their usual food, caterpillars, will go largely untouched during the coming weeks. While birds feast on these cacophonous critters, caterpillar populations will also swell, which results in more damage to oak leaves, among other deciduous trees.
As it so happens, cicadas love hardwoods, especially oaks. This is because cicadas prefer to lay their eggs in oak trees where branches are the perfect diameter for their eggs, those 0.25–0.5 inches round.
But that also means other creatures will be congregating near oak trees, as well.
Cicadas Are Easy Food for Copperheads
Since young cicadas emerging from nests on oak trees are the perfect consistency for belly-dwellers to eat, you can anticipate increased copperhead activity around oaks during May, June, and July.
Copperheads are one of two venomous snakes that call Appalachian North Carolina home, the other being the timber rattlesnake.
So does that mean there will be more copperheads around Lake James this spring and summer?
Well, no, but it might feel that way.
The eastern copperhead isn’t too difficult to spot. Just look for the Hershey-shaped markings on its body.
There will not be a greater number of copperheads around Lake James State Park during the cicada-geddon, but your chances of encountering one of these slithering vertebrates are only slightly more likely because copperheads will be more active, especially from dusk to dawn.
“It’s important for folks to understand they’re not going to be seeing more copperheads unless they’re actively going out at night and coming across trees with an exceptionally large number of cicadas emerging from their roots,” says Falyn Owens, a wildlife biologist with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. “Otherwise, there’s no increased chance of coming across a copperhead.”
Whether you’re hiking, biking, or camping around Lake James State Park, it’s wise to avoid cicada hotspots.
“Cicadas tend to be creatures of habit, at least in terms of where they are likely to emerge,” Owens continues. “Mature oak trees that have hosted numerous cicada nymphs in the past are likely to be where cicadas will emerge in large numbers again. If you’ve seen a lot of nymphs around a particular tree in the past, that’s a good place to watch out for nymphs again, and potentially copperheads, especially dusk through dawn when copperheads are actively searching for food.”
Give Copperheads Space, It’s Their Habitat
So if you remember seeing cicada casings on a particular oak tree in years past, take note of it and be on extra alert for a potential copperhead sighting.
When coming across a copperhead during one of your outings at Lake James State Park, give them space. They’re not aggressive by nature and aren’t going to seek out interactions with humans if they can be easily avoided.
But in most cases, if you do happen upon a snake around Lake James, it’s most likely one of the numerous non-venomous reptiles native to the foothill region.
“We often hear from visitors concerned that a snake they have seen in the park may be a copperhead,” explains Jenny Hughes, a park ranger at Lake James. “Most of the time, they have misidentified a non-venomous snake. The tale-tell sign of a copperhead is the Hershey-kiss-shaped pattern along the sides of its body. No Hershey kisses, no copperhead. Young copperheads are also easy to identify with their bright yellow/lime green tail tips.”
Park Ranger Jenny Hughes reminds visitors to Lake James State Park to give copperheads and other snakes their distance.
“In the few cases that we have confirmed a copperhead sighting,” she continues, “we remind folks to admire them from a distance and keep their pets on a leash at all times. That way we can all coexist peacefully. After all, the snakes live here in the park while humans are just visiting. Copperheads provide a very valuable service to humans by keeping rodent populations under control, which can spread diseases to humans.”