That’s what most people say when they see the ends of tree branches showing damage inflicted by 17-year cicadas over a five-week period this spring. Trees won’t die as a result of cicada damage, but that’s not the point. As long as dead foliage remains in place on these trees, new growth won’t happen. Only when this dieback falls from trees will new growth resume, possibly next year. Trees largely victimized by cicadas include dogwoods, maples, oaks, redbuds, sweet gum and walnut. Evergreens escaped damage in most areas.

Not all parts of the nation witnessed the emergence of cicadas this spring. Western areas of Illinois encountered cicadas last year. Eastward, every state witnessed some cicadas, primarily in Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Some regions of these states suffered so much dieback that trees appear to have more dead foliage than live. Crowns of trees were the hardest hit.

What did cicada damage look like? Here are a few snapshots of what cicadas left behind. The camera is a Sigma SA-9, with a Sigma 28-200mm aspherical zoom lens. Close-ups of dieback were on an Asian dogwood and maple. Substantial damage is shown to tips of outer branches on a sweet gum tree and pin oak in a neighbor’s landscape.