Cicadas: The Soil Symbionts
Cicadas improve soil through their nymph stage, which can last 17 years underground. Their tunneling aerates soil and improves water retention in forests. When they emerge en masse, like the famous Brood X, they provide food for countless birds and mammals. Their shed exoskeletons decompose and fertilize soil with nutrients. Their synchronized life cycles represent one of nature’s most remarkable timing mechanisms.