Anyone else have Cicadas in their trees? We had a nice little emergence here over the last week. My girls have been getting all grossed out by the shed pupal (I think) shells hanging off all the trees.
Cicadas
- Thread starter MarkBNJ
- Start date
I find them all day working, ones emerging now are most likley dog day cicadas. I love the noise they make, nothing says hot, humid south jersey summer like a cicada. I know people that call them steamy bugs.
When I was a teenager in the 70's we had a hatch of these around the base of a gray birch in my yard: (a.k.a. the 17 year locust)
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/steincarter/cicadas.htm
Cool as hell and the casings made great gags when you hung them on people's shirts and yelled "WHOA what the hell is that?!!"
Not that I ever did that.
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/steincarter/cicadas.htm
Cool as hell and the casings made great gags when you hung them on people's shirts and yelled "WHOA what the hell is that?!!"
Not that I ever did that.
I was on my way to pick up my daughter this afternoon and I noticed that a large Cicada was clinging to the side of the truck. Not grasping an edge or something, just standing in the middle of a broad area of painted vertical sheet metal... at 50 mph. Those are some sticky feet. Even after that wild ride he wanted to stay. When I shooed him off at the soccer field all the little girls freaked when he made a very loud "Zzzt Zzzt".
We called them Katy-dids when I was a kid, because, or so we were told, the sound they made was like "Katy did it! Katy did it!"
We called them Katy-dids when I was a kid, because, or so we were told, the sound they made was like "Katy did it! Katy did it!"
Actually, I am listening to quite a chorus of them right now. Nice music to work to. I especially enjoy when I'm driving at night and can hear them along with all the other different sounds coming from the woods. The notes and the pitches change constantly.
I have a few specimens that I've hung on to over the years. Unfortunately, their colors have faded, but they're still pretty neat.
I have a few specimens that I've hung on to over the years. Unfortunately, their colors have faded, but they're still pretty neat.
I'm always on the lookout for a blue-eyed cicada, but I understand they are about one in three million and the eye color fades when they are dead. Nevertheless, I would like to find one.
I'm pretty sure cicadas are diurnal (daytime) singers for the most part; so I never hear them.
Katydids do their womanizing at night and I hear them all the time! My most recent dark excursion in the woods had them starting their chants promptly at dusk, never stopping for hours, before finally gradually waning at 2:30am -- last call at the bar, I guess. And they're constantly arguing, those katydids.
Listen to them tonight, they'll be out in full force (an open window will allow their singing to put you to sleep). Two-thirds croon "katydid!" and the other third "katydidn't!" Men.
Bill
To me, for both of those creatures, it is not so much the sound, but what the sound invokes in my memory; sunny Pine Barren days with clean white sandy trails, as well as warm and comfortable Pine Barren evenings.
So they are not the same insect? I need to read up a little then.
I'm pretty sure cicadas are diurnal (daytime) singers for the most part; so I never hear them.
Katydids do their womanizing at night and I hear them all the time! My most recent dark excursion in the woods had them starting their chants promptly at dusk, never stopping for hours, before finally gradually waning at 2:30am -- last call at the bar, I guess. And they're constantly arguing, those katydids.
Men.
Bill
In my past life, I said I would name my first daughter Katydid!!!
Never did have any girls. Maybe there's a good reason for that (oh, the humanity)...
Never did have any girls. Maybe there's a good reason for that (oh, the humanity)...
while on the subject of big bugs...
Cicadae and katydids are up there near the top of my 'faves' list, but no arthropod can come close to the beauty of a big juicy green female praying mantis. it's now occuring to me that I haven't seen any mantids since arriving here this summer.
For many years I have ordered egg cases from an outfit in Montana and planted them near the veggie gardens and in the bushes along the house foundation. Out of the 6 cases and their hundreds of tiny hatchlings, I would generally end up with a few that would hang around throughout the entire season. Fascinating creatures.
By next April, we'll have a garden plot started up and will get some egg cases but in the meantime I kinda miss seeing them, even in the wild.
Cicadae and katydids are up there near the top of my 'faves' list, but no arthropod can come close to the beauty of a big juicy green female praying mantis. it's now occuring to me that I haven't seen any mantids since arriving here this summer.
For many years I have ordered egg cases from an outfit in Montana and planted them near the veggie gardens and in the bushes along the house foundation. Out of the 6 cases and their hundreds of tiny hatchlings, I would generally end up with a few that would hang around throughout the entire season. Fascinating creatures.
By next April, we'll have a garden plot started up and will get some egg cases but in the meantime I kinda miss seeing them, even in the wild.
Wow--how about that. I didn't realize it. Must be the word JUICY!! Funny stuff. NO, I DON'T EAT 'EM.
Seriously, though-- when I described them using that term, I meant the big pregnant ones, with the swollen abdomen. As the season would wear on, part of the fun was waiting to see if any of the resident mantids would turn out to be female.
Seriously, though-- when I described them using that term, I meant the big pregnant ones, with the swollen abdomen. As the season would wear on, part of the fun was waiting to see if any of the resident mantids would turn out to be female.
Believe it or not I was attacked by a praying mantis last august that had taken residency in my garage. I know what your thinking, but no, I am not crazy. I have had many mantis encounters (one yesterday as a matter of fact) without inncident. I like them also. But this one took to my garage and attacked me on three occassions and the cable guy.
I eventually got him out the door.
Jeff
I eventually got him out the door.
Jeff
reminds me of summers growning up. I used to fall asleep to them in the backyard by the pool all the time.
"no arthropod can come close to the beauty of a big juicy green female praying mantis"
I just rescued one on playground equipment today, she was ready to burst.
When I was a kid living in willingboro I used to go out at night and catch cicadas while they were still in their shells. They walk really slow like tiny robots and feel cool walking up your arm. I had a bird cage I would put them in and sure enough the next day they were always hatched. I have shells on the wall in my cubicle at work and again this morning I caught one in the back yard for my 2 year old, but they are too big and loud and busy for him, dady longlegs are fine to hold but not yet a cicada, perhaps next summer.
I just rescued one on playground equipment today, she was ready to burst.
When I was a kid living in willingboro I used to go out at night and catch cicadas while they were still in their shells. They walk really slow like tiny robots and feel cool walking up your arm. I had a bird cage I would put them in and sure enough the next day they were always hatched. I have shells on the wall in my cubicle at work and again this morning I caught one in the back yard for my 2 year old, but they are too big and loud and busy for him, dady longlegs are fine to hold but not yet a cicada, perhaps next summer.
Shells on the wall at work would have never flown (pardon the pun) where I used to work. I was surrounded by a bunch of hens who would kill anything that moved, and they certainly wouldn't want the remnants of something that used to move near them (except for a couple of Big Macs perhaps). Eventually they learned to look for me when they encountered something crawling around so I could put it outside.
I do have a bunch of various dried specimens sitting on a paper plate for now in the garage, including a few cicadae. A katydid also, although one of the rear legs has broken off.
I do have a bunch of various dried specimens sitting on a paper plate for now in the garage, including a few cicadae. A katydid also, although one of the rear legs has broken off.