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their egg laying; they would also choose chestnuts. I find myself more interested in trees the cicadas did not choose. So far I have not seen Tulippoplars with signs of cicada zapping. This elegant tree has many common names; Tulip-tree, Yellow-poplar and Whitewood.
Tulip-poplars are magnolias and this plant family has a very primitive flower structure. The earliest flowers to evolve probably looked like the magnolia blooms we see today. Is it possible that Liriodendron tulipifera has, over millions of years, developed toxins to discourage cicada egg laying? It was Ecologist Eugene Odum who wrote; “Ecological relationships are not more complex than man thinks; they are more complex than man can think.” For me, this includes miracles of evolution.
Since I have become a diligent and constant watcher of signs of cicada egg-laying I have noticed that the ubiquitous Tree-of-Heaven, Ailanthus altissima, has also remained unvisited by ovipositing cicadas.
Except for very young and fruit trees, the ovipositing by the cicadas does little damage. It is reassuring to think of it as nature’s pruning. There will be a spurt of growth behind the short slits for eggs; trees have backup strategies for dealing with cicadas. Next year the tree will be fuller. The tree has compensated. After all, cicadas and oaks have dealt with each other for millions of years.
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