KY the Focal Point for the ’25 Cicada ‘Bourbon Brood’, But What Regions?

We took advantage of the amazing weather Saturday and went road tripping. Before we found ourselves in Elizabethtown, we were serenaded along Interstate 165 and the Western Kentucky Parkway by a "brood" of visitors who seemed to be hell-bent on "waking the neighbors."

Kentucky Cicada Brood

Welcome to summer 2025. Over there, you'll find green trees, green shrubs, and green grass. Everything's green. Over there, you'll find our winged noisemakers. The cicadas have returned, and since Kentucky is their focal point this year, Brood XIV has been dubbed the "Bourbon Brood." They were chirping mighty loudly, as if they had been imbibing. But no, there are just so many of them, we could hear them through the rolled-up windows while speeding down a four-lane highway. Now that is loud. Well, here. This is a good example.

Cicada Screams

Read More: A Cicada Cocktail? Watch as People Try the New Drink

Where Are the Most Cicadas in Kentucky?

And they only got louder the farther we drove into central Kentucky. I've since learned that these Commonwealth-loving cicadas are thickest in the central and eastern portions of the Bluegrass State. In Harrodsburg, for example, they have become very "clingy." (Pun intended)

Five days later, it happened again at the same construction site. Different guy, though, and a different color.

Get our free mobile app

2025 Cicada Brood

Cicada Safari, a website that documents cicada activity, features a map that illustrates the destination for the 2025 brood. Yes, Kentucky is their favorite, but Tennessee and Pennsylvania are getting a lot of love this year, too.

As with past broods, I don't hear them much around our neighborhood in the county. But when I do, that trademark summer sound pairs well with the front porch and morning coffee.