Arkansas
Arkansas Preps for Noisy Symphony of Cicadas
They’re loud and they’re coming to Arkansas.
Two broods of cicadas are hatching across the state after more than a decade of dormancy and they have a lot to say after that length of downtime.
They are the loudest insect and their constant buzzing can drown out lawnmowers and even chainsaws.
“It’s always on,” said Cynthia Miller, who works at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. “There’s no stopping. No pause. It’s constant. It’s like an electrical buzzing that goes on constantly.”
One cicada hatch, referred to as Brood XIX, is emerging across much of the southern U.S. after 13 years of dormancy. At the same time, Brood XIII, a smaller group that comes out every 17 years, is also appearing this spring and summer in the Midwest.
The simultaneous appearance of the two cicada hatchings is rare. The last time both showed up at the same time was in 1807. Entomologists say central Illinois – specifically, Springfield — is the area where the overlapping of both breeds will mostly occur.
Trillions of the winged, three-inch-long critters are expected to crawl out of the roots of trees and from underground nests. They differ a bit from the annual hatch of cicadas in Arkansas in that they are darker and have bulging orange eyes.
They’re not dangerous, said Jon Zawislak, assistant professor of apiculture and urban entomology with the University of Arkansas system’s Division of Agriculture.
Cicada from May 2015 | Photo Credit: Mary Hightower, U of A Division of Agriculture
They won’t damage crops or eat grass and plants like hoards of locusts, which people erroneously confuse with the cicadas. But they do burrow in trees and they create a nuisance when they begin hatching.
They also have an annoying habit of expelling jets of cicada urine when agitated.
Miller said she had to recently sweep out 60-70 of the cicadas that had gotten inside a building at the Crater of Diamonds State Park.
She also left a porch light on at her home near the park one night. The illumination attracted the cicadas and when she headed out to work the following morning, she said she was bombarded by more than 100 of the flying bugs.
There’s also thought that they attract poisonous snakes and areas could be overrun by them. Copperheads, one of Arkansas’ venomous snake breeds, feast on the cicadas because they are high in protein. Think of fat guys crowding the all-you-can-eat buffet.
“We’ve had several calls to remove copperheads from yards in Arkansas lately,” said Maria Abramson, a dispatcher at the National State Wildlife removal service based near St. Louis that has offices in Missouri and Arkansas. “A lot of callers say the snakes are right in their yards and they’re there because of the cicadas.”
She said residents should check garages, laundry rooms and play equipment in the yard for snakes. They also get trapped in netting used when residents seed their lawns, she said.
“It’s more in rural settings, but we just got a call from someone in Little Rock who needed a copperhead removed,” she said.
Molting Neotibicen Tibicen | Photo Credit: Ken Heard
However, Randy Zellers, a spokesman for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said the sudden surge of copperheads may not really be the case. Copperhead sightings generally increase during cicada hatchings because more people traipse in the woods in search of cicadas. While searching for the insects, people may stumble upon the snakes in their natural habitats.
Wild turkeys, other birds and even bass dine on the bugs, he said.
“They’re cool bugs,” Zellers said. “They’re little packages of protein. Hunters who kill turkeys will open them up and see they gorged themselves on cicadas.”
Zellers said he’s heard recent reports of the cicadas mostly appearing in south Arkansas near Arkadelphia, around Hot Springs and in the Mountain Home area. Zellers lives in Paron in Saline County and he’s not heard the cicadas. Yet.
Still, they could come. The hatching period lasts for a few weeks, Zawislak said.
They come out from their underground habitats when soil 8 inches deep reaches 64 degrees, he said. The cicadas only live for four to six weeks and during that time, they mate and their eggs will hatch within six to 10 weeks. The nymphs then burrow into the ground and remain “dormant” for between two to 17 years, depending upon the species.
They then emerge as adults and the noise returns.
The Brood XIX, named because it was the 19th breed discovered, is located mainly in the southeast. Brood XIII will hatch more in Illinois and Iowa. In all, 17 states will see the swarm of cicadas this summer.
Tests have shown cicada choruses are often in the 80- to 85-decibel range. That’s equal to city traffic heard inside a car and gasoline-powered lawnmowers.
Some have recorded cicadas getting as loud as 111.4 db, which is comparable to being inside a car with a barking dog. Hearing damage could occur within two minutes, according to CicadaMania, a website designed to monitor the rare hatch of the two breeds.
“It may not be thick with cicadas where you are now,” Zellers said. “But the hatches take time. When they come out, you’ll know they’re here.”
Feature Photo: Brood XIX Cicada
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Arkansas
Both sides oppose federal lawsuit over Arkansas election law being found moot | Arkansas Democrat Gazette
FAYETTEVILLE — A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a state law banning exit polling within 100 feet of a polling site still has issues both sides want resolved, according to court filings.
Bryan Norris initially sought a preliminary injunction against Act 728 of 2021 that would have allowed his campaign to contract for exit polling during the March primary election. U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks denied the motion Feb. 27, stating the state law being challenged is probably constitutional.
A World War II veteran who worked for the City of Tulsa was finally laid to rest Monday after his remains went unidentified for nearly 80 years.
Floyd Harper, 22, was one of several City of Tulsa workers killed when a city barge overturned on the Arkansas River on Feb. 10, 1949. His remains were not identified at the time, and his family spent decades without answers.
His daughter, Linda Schrader, never got the chance to know him. She was two months old when he died.
“He died in the Arkansas River when I was exactly two months old,” Schrader said. “So I knew absolutely nothing about any of this wonderful stuff.”
Harper’s wife and family were left guessing what happened to him. According to Schrader, her mother never stopped looking.
“They said that she used to walk the banks of the Arkansas River for years, trying to find something of him where he died,” Schrader said.
Eventually, Schrader’s mother remarried, and the family began to accept they’d never get a chance to say goodbye. That changed last summer.
Tulsa Police Homicide Detective Brandon Watkins looked into human remains the department had discovered along the river in 1985. Using genealogy research, he tracked down Schrader, who now lives in Boise, Idaho. He flew out himself to administer a DNA test.
It was a match.
“We wanted to know who those human remains belong to. That’s important,” Watkins said. “Families deserve to have this moment.”
For Schrader, the confirmation set off a whirlwind. She discovered she had 29 first cousins she never knew, and attended a family reunion.
“I was just blown away with finding out I had 29 first cousins. And all of this going on. It’s just — it’s been insane,” she said.
For Watkins, solving the case stands as a career milestone.
“It’s one of the most rewarding things I think I’ve done in my career, is be part of this,” he said. “And I’m real happy for his family.”
Monday, after a gun salute and 77 years of wondering, Harper was finally laid to rest alongside other family members. Schrader said she’s grateful she can spend the rest of her life knowing how her father’s story ends.
“I’m just so happy he gets to be with his momma now,” she said.
Timeline: Floyd Harper’s 77-year journey home
Feb. 10, 1949 — Floyd Harper, a WWII veteran and City of Tulsa worker, dies when a city barge overturns on the Arkansas River. He is 22 years old. His daughter Linda is two months old.
1949–1985 — Harper’s family, including his wife, searches for answers. His remains are never found. Linda’s mother remarries; the family moves.
1985 — Human remains are discovered along the Arkansas River. Tulsa Police preserve them but are unable to make an identification at the time.
Summer 2025 — TPD Homicide Detective Brandon Watkins reopens the case, conducts genealogy research, and locates Linda Schrader in Idaho. He flies out personally to collect a DNA sample.
Mid-2025 — DNA results confirm the remains belong to Floyd Harper.
April 27, 2026 — Floyd Harper is laid to rest alongside family members in Skiatook, 77 years after his death. An honor guard renders a gun salute.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.– Arkansas senior LHP Robyn Herron and senior OF Reagan Johnson were selected as provisional picks in the 2026 AUSL College Draft and have been named to the league’s reserve athlete pool, the organization announced Sunday evening.
AUSL provisional picks in the 2026 College Draft were selected to allow teams to secure the draft picks’ rights and give teams added flexibility. The AUSL Reserve Pool is an opportunity for players to potentially be called up, compete, and earn full-time roster spots. For example, Reserve Pool athletes will be utilized at the start of the season when select AUSL players compete overseas in the Japan Diamond League.
Herron is among the all-time Arkansas greats in the circle with 111 career appearances, 73 starts, 52 wins and a 2.18 ERA while registering 554 strikeouts and limiting opposing hitters to a program-record .180 batting average. She has also registered 16 10+ strikeout games in her Arkansas career, which is tied for Mary Haff (2018-2022) as the most in program history. This season, Herron is 14-4 with a 1.99 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 91.1 innings pitched. She currently ranks among the top pitchers nationally in fewest hits allowed per seven innings (14th, 4.45), saves (15th, 4), and strikeouts per seven innings (5th, 11.0).
Johnson is the all-time Arkansas career hits leader with 272, while her 68 career stolen bases are the third-most in program history. She has posted a .331 batting average this season with 48 hits, four doubles, a triple, and 14 RBI while drawing 27 walks, scoring 50 runs, and stealing 18 bases. Defensively, Johnson is among the best center fielders the game has seen during her four years on The Hill with a .988 career fielding percentage. She is on a 122-game errorless streak dating back to April 6, 2024, which is the longest errorless streak by an Arkansas outfielder on record (since at least 2001).
In addition to Herron and Johnson’s provisional selections, Dakota Kennedy previously received an AUSL Golden Ticket on April 6. The 2026 AUSL College Draft is set for Monday, May 4, at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
No. 6/9 Arkansas (39-9, 13-8 SEC) will wrap up the regular season with a three-game series at Texas (April 30-May 2). Thursday’s contest will be at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network, while Friday and Saturday’s first pitch times are set for 2 p.m. and noon on SEC Network+.
For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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