Purcellville, VA, May 28, 2021 — Join the Purcellville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Tree and Environment Sustainability Committee to learn about the 17-year periodical cicadas, Brood X, which are emerging this year. Beth Sastre, Commercial Horticulturist with the Loudoun Extension Office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension will share information about these interesting creatures on Sunday, June 6 at 1 p.m. at the Chapman DeMary Trail. Register online to attend. This is part of the series of monthly nature walks typically held the last Sunday of each month; the May walk was rescheduled to Sunday, June 6.
According to Virginia Tech, periodical cicadas spend most of their lives in an immature or nymph phase in the soil feeding on the roots of trees. Every 13 or 17 years, depending on the species, the entire brood emerges together in a synchronized transition to adulthood. The brood that is emerging this year is the largest geographically of all the periodical cicada broods. Their life cycle and appearance are different from the annual "dog day" cicadas.
The Chapman DeMary Trail is a 10-acre area considered to be the last stand of old-growth forest in the Town of Purcellville. It runs along the South Fork Catoctin Creek, part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The area is open to the public for environmental recreation, exploration, and education. The Town of Purcellville holds the conservation easement for this privately-owned property. The entrance and parking for the Chapman DeMary Trail is behind the building at 205 East Hirst Road in Purcellville.
Learn more and register online on the Monthly Nature Walks page in the Events and Activities section of the Town of Purcellville’s website at www.PurcellvilleVa.gov.
