ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — Lilly Crawford captured a huge cicada in her Alamance County neighborhood.
We went by Saxapahaw Island Park just a few minutes up the road to see if we could spot any cicadas and had no luck.
But they are coming, Mary Martin-Vance lives near the park and said she spotted a couple near her home.
"We have a couple of acres and woods so we've seen a few kind of coming out but nothing major," Martin-Vance said. "We're wondering who will come first the fireflies or the cicadas."
Martin-Vance said she has mixed feelings since cicada experts predict there will be a million of them per acre in the woods of dozens of counties across North Carolina.
Experts said people living in Randolph and Alamance Counties will see the most in our area.
"It's exciting. I mean good for them," Martin-Vance said. "It's a little terrifying because there's going to be so many of them and we live out in the county so there will be no avoiding them."
Stephen Head frequents Saxapahaw Island Park.
"I haven't seen any. I imagine around areas like here at Saxapahaw they'll be pretty loud," Head said. "I don't anticipate they'll keep me from running or walking my dog or anything like that"
The bugs that are emerging are considered periodic cicadas. NC State entomology professor Clyde Sorenson said they're only seen every 13 years.
"A lot of other cicadas probably reach pretty high densities too, but only some of them come up every year," Sorenson said. "So we don't ever get this overwhelming appearance. They feed on tree roots and because of the tissue they feed on it takes them multiple years to develop."
Sorenson said although the noise cicadas make can be annoying they're harmless.
"They're completely harmless. Don't hesitate to pick one up and look at it. It's not going to do anything except maybe protest a little bit. If it's a male, it might scream at you, but it's not going to hurt you in any way," Sorenson said.
Dare to touch the creepy flying bugs if you will.
There will be plenty to choose from as experts say they'll peak in early May and make their exit in June.