The Sounds of Summer

The song of the cicada is the constant backdrop to our lives in the summer.  After a while, you don't really even notice the drone that rises, then falls, throughout the day and early evening.  Cicadas are native to temperate and tropical areas, and ours really kick it into high gear in July, August and September.  They shed their old skins as they molt, leaving behind a startling reminder of how big they really are.

Empty shell, discarded by occupant.

When I was growing up, we referred to them (incorrectly) as locusts, and it took me a long time to learn to call them cicadas, but cicadas they are.  These big insects have life spans that range from 2 to 5 years, although some periodic cicadas live for up to 17 years!  Although they do feed on plants, they're not really considered pests, unless you happen to place the empty shell on your sister.

I remember as a young adult attending a meeting in Leesburg, Virginia in August.  They have cicadas there too.  Our group took a walk around a little nature trail one evening, much to the shock and horror of one of our European companions.  He couldn't figure out what that terrible noise was, and why we southerners couldn't hear it.  It took him a good 10 minutes to explain to us what he was hearing before we figured it out.  Only cicadas!  Not dangerous!  I don't think he believed us, though.

Here's a link to Soundbible's Cicada clip, so you can hear it for yourself.