LAKE GENEVA, Wis. — Over the past three weeks, there have been millions of visitors at Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva.
Not people. Cicadas.
“They’re just all around,” said Jason Tishler of Evansville. “They land on you. They’re crawling on you. You hear their wings. You hear crunching. You can even smell them.”
The cicadas arrive once every 17 years. You can’t go anywhere in Lake Geneva without seeing them.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is reminding park visitors that while they may look and they may touch, state law prohibits capturing and removing animals, including insects, from state parks.
“I think they’re taking them home in bug containers for their kids,” Jason Tishler said. “I heard in Lake Geneva they brewed a beer with cicadas. In Chicago, there’s a popular shot with a cicada in it. So, they’re trying to collect them for that too or they’re just curious as to what they look like up close.”
Tishler walked the trails on Monday with his son Isaiah. They were quickly greeted by the unique visitors.
“All over my shirt, my head, you know, my legs,” Isaiah Tishler said. “There was a wing on my shoe.”
To report a violation, visit https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/contact/Hotline.html or call 1-800-847-9367.
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