Annual Cicada – frontal view – Photo: L. Weikel
Annual Cicadas
Have you noticed recently the scratchy, long-lasting, insect-screech coming from the trees? If you stop to think about it and actually pay attention to the sound, you’ll realize it’s completely different than the weird whirring space-ship sound of the 17-year periodical (Brood X, in our neck of the woods) cicadas that emerged in late spring. What you hear are annual circadas.
Indeed, if you pay attention, you’ll not only realize it’s a completely different call than the Brood X cicadas, but you’ll also recognize it as a reliable and comforting sound of summer. In fact, these little buggers who show up reliably every single year when the summer months are at their hottest and muggiest are also appropriately known as dog-day cicadas.
When I was growing up, this was the sound that heralded lazy, hazy days so hot and muggy that the best thing to do was find some shade, secretly snag a couple pillows from the living room, and lose yourself in a good book. A tall glass of iced tea (Nestea instant tea, back in the day) added to the perfection.
Yes, the signal for embarking upon such a literary adventure was the distinct sound of the annual cicadas. They’re shy guys, it seems. They mostly seem to ‘ghost’ us with their light brown shells, left behind when they shed. It’s much more rare to see an annual cicada than the hordes of 17-year cicadas we just enjoyed (or endured, depending upon your perspective).
Annual Cicada – Photo: L. Weikel
Bird Issue Update
All of this talk of cicadas reminds me that there seems to be some connection being drawn by ornithologists connecting the periodical (17-year, Brood X) cicadas with the sclurge that’s been afflicting songbirds.
Luckily, it sounds like that nastiness is starting to abate. The birds that were getting sick and dying seemed to be located within the zones where the Brood X emerged. Was it caused by the birds eating cicadas that were harboring the zombie-creating cicada fungus?
It’s a mystery I think we’re close to cracking!
(T-114)