Cicadas

Cicada in the backyardCicadas go through life cycles where they appear in adult form every 2 to 17 years.  Most of their lives they live underground and are harmlessly out of the way.  As I understand it, this year was the time for the 17-year-between-adults type to hatch in WV.  Sure enough, we have had a bunch of them.  The big hatch where they molt and leave their dried, older shells everywhere occurred earlier this year.  I am not sure how long the adults remain, laying their eggs and such, but they are still active in great number.  Cicadas are harmless, except I think they can make a person deaf if proper hearing protection is not worn.  We had one land on our kitchen door the other night while Emily and I were doing something.  It started its “song” and nearly drove us from the room.  I went around outside and was able to record the racket it was making for your listening pleasure. 

I don’t think this recording does the volume justice, but it goes on constantly in the evenings.  Really, they are fun to watch bumble through the air.  They are harmless, crazy, prehistoric-looking bugs that the kids are almost brave enough to try and catch.  I always enjoy hearing them is some ways as it is a definite sound of summer!

[audio:http://myhomeamongthehills.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/cicada-on-the-kitchen-door-2.mp3]

4 thoughts on “Cicadas

  1. That sound drives me crazy. The first time I heard them was on your wedding day. We PA folk don’t have such creatures. I guess it’s too cold.

  2. My kids love cicadas. The crispy cases they leave all over our tree trunks, and every time they hear one sing it’s loud metallic song its “mama! I hear a ‘cada!” 🙂

  3. Hmmm, I think I get cicadas and locusts mixed up. I’ll have to look up the difference in a minute! We had a bout of locusts come through TN when I was little and I remember walking outside and getting hit in the head with them sometimes! It totally hurt! Weird little creatures. Here I think we have cicadas. My kids LOVE playing with the empty shells! They pretend like they are people. It sort of grosses me out, but hey, picking up bug parts is a valuable life-long skill, so I just grin and watch them!

  4. Oh that noise, every year my kids ask what makes that noise……..every year I tell them. HAHA! One of these years, they will remember and proudly tell me. Or so I hope 🙂

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