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[Abdul Alhazred]

From Daily Southtown (Chicago)

Cicadas playing hard to get

For all the stir they've caused, the shrimp-sized cicadas are acting a bit shy.

But that's no surprise.

After 17 years underground, the red-eyed insects aren't going to make their debut in merely mediocre conditions.

"They're waiting for the right time to come out," said Clayton Wooldridge, park ecologist with the Frankfort Square Park District.

Weather conditions are a factor in determining when the estimated 7 billion or 8 billion will grace the northern half of Illinois, said Daniel Summers, an entomologist with The Field Museum.

Scattered sightings started in Palos Heights last week, and a slow emergence will continue for the next couple of days, he added.

"They're just waiting for it to rain, then they'll come barreling out of the ground," Summers said.

...

"Every day we've been going out, but we haven't found any," McDonnell said.

What the unsuspecting cicadas don't know is they're the secret ingredient of more than 30 student-created recipes.

Fettucini cicadas.

Spaghetti and cicadas.

Cicadas kabob.

And this isn't a hands-off project.

On Friday, McDonnell will be the guest of honor at an all she-can-eat cicada buffet.

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