Cicadas

Cicadas are a southern summer mainstay. What would the hot sultry nights be without the constant and loud humming and 'screaming' of the cicadas? I just couldn't imagine it. The noise is actually a mating call. Why are we not surprised?

My mother came from Maine during a hot sultry summer. She and my stepfather (Papa) were quite amazed at the loud insects. I don't know much about cicadas but do know the noise they make. I have found there are over 2500 species of cicadas through research. Some are cyclical, but there are also yearly cicadas. As annoying as cicadas can be, I must say they are purely harmless and animals love to eat the big meaty bugs. In some parts of the world people even eat them.

I thought it would be fun to showcase them a bit. The above picture is of a hole in the ground. I put my finger next to it for scale. The hole is quite huge. They are numerous in my lawn. The nymph cicadas actually crawl out of these holes, then up a nearby tree, deck, or just plain old board laying around the yard, and then it molts. The resulting insect is what you see in the last two pictures, but this next picture is what I find all over my yard. It is the shell the insect leaves when it matures. Ugly huh?

I think it's kind of cool. In high school in North Carolina I had an astute art teacher. She had collected a bag of these shells and handed them out to all of the students in her class. Our task was to draw it. I took a great deal of pleasure in drawing my little shell true to life in pencil. I've always been a bit of a realist in art.

Here are the adults. My cat Orkin jumps on them whenever she sees them. As was the case with the cicada in the grass. The one pictured above came to Mr. Fix-it's car and clung to the tire until it died. I am not sure why but many of these insects are choosing to die near or on this car in our driveway. They take a few days to die. The insects can be about 3 inches long. They make quite a show.

Sometimes you can spot these huge bugs flying through the sky. They can be mistaken for hummingbirds except you will hear the characteristic loud rattle as they fly past. No mistaking that racket for a hummingbird! Mom, what do you think of our southern bug?

P.S. I have finally heard the chorus of our summer bugs just last night, hence the posting today. All photos were snapped LAST summer. I've not spotted any cicadas yet this summer. This summer has been a bit unusual in that last night was not one of those 'hot and sultry' nights we usually have in July-yahoo! No, it was a lovely night to open the windows to hear the cicadas sing.

in the garden....