Posted on 04/19/2016 2:46:39 PM PDT by beaversmom
Hope you like the sound of humming.
That is, if you live in the Northeastern United States, anyway. Billions of cicadas are slated to rise up from the ground in parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio to mate next month, The Washington Post reports.
They have been lying in wait since they began life in 1999. This summer, at age 17, they’ll finally be crawling above ground to make the lives of human beings a living hell, just like any good teens.
Then, the winged insects will mate and die off in around a month.
These “17-year-cicadas” include three different species, according to Discovery News. Other types are on a one-year or 13-year schedule.
This year’s cicada crop will emerge as nymphs once nighttime soil temperatures eight-inches below the surface hit 64 degrees for four days in a row, according to The Plain Dealer. The nymphs climb into trees, then shed their exoskeletons to emerge as red-eyed adults, ready to breed.
Cicadas eat tree sap and typically don’t damage plants significantly. They also don’t bite or sting. But what some folks dread is the incessant noise.
(Excerpt) Read more at huffingtonpost.com ...
We had them last hear in Mississippi. All you heard when you went outside and then suddenly the noise stopped
You know, on some days, that sounds like a pretty good deal.
Glad I read the post. For a moment, I thought they were talking about Trumpbots and Cruzites.
Repent, for the end is near!
Looks like we do get those here in CO:
Video via You Tube
Giant Swarm of Mormon Crickets (just under 3 minutes long)
Mormon cricket
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_cricket
That’s an amazing cycle. It seems somewhat sad to me.
Sometimes I feel like a cicada. Except for the breeding part that is.
Laughing on the inside!
I can see that. There’s definitely sadness and beauty in so much of nature.
Did they wear leather jackets and have slicked back hair back then?
I remember these from years ago but they were called locusts then. Big outbreak in 1970 in the east.
“I don’t think of cicadas as pests. I thjink they’re cool and I love the noise they make.”
You probably need professional help.
Nice. It’s great when one can be at peace and accepting of nature like that. I’m not back there so I don’t know if they would bother me or not. I tend to think not, but I have never experienced them.
Isn’t this article bigoted?? It focuses on mating between male and female.
They are being binary and hetero-normative.
What about the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered cicadas???? Don’t they deserve equal time ??? Do they have equal rights in cicada society???
Happens every spring
Good point! Definitely some cicadas are gonna be *triggered* over this.
I was riding hiway 50 and came across a range swarming with those things.
On the motorbike you literally had to slow down and drive around them.
Greasy.
Sounds like their lives are as dismal as most people’s lives are.
Time flies! (no pun)
lol...true. Ours are just a bit more stretched out...normally.
Yep.
My one ton, 4-wheel drive work tuck was sliding sideways at one point.
We had to slow down to about 10 miles per hour while crossing those things.
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