THE TOPIC OF THE DAY IS......

 

CICADAS!!!!

     If you don’t know them…..you are definitely missing out!!!!  In the greater Cincinnati area, we are currently in the midst of our 17-year cycle, and they are everywhere.  Monday night at Hickory Woods Golf Course they were exceptionally loud, they were everywhere, in the sand traps, all of the trees, crawling around in the grass, and hundreds smashed to death on the cart paths…. seriously, if you have no tolerance for them, you are in big time trouble. 

I turn to Wikipedia for the more serious description:  “Cicadas have prominent eyes set wide apart, short antennae, and membranous front wings. They have an exceptionally loud song, produced in most species by the rapid buckling and unbuckling of drum-like tymbals.  They typically live in trees, feeding on watery sap from xylem tissue, and laying their eggs in a slit in the bark. The vast majority of species are active during the day as adults, with some calling at dawn or dusk.

One exclusively North American genus, Magicicada (the periodical cicadas), which spend most of their lives as underground nymphs, emerge in predictable intervals of 13 or 17 years, depending on the species and the location.

One thing to mention is that they are totally harmless, no stinging, no biting, just super ugly and annoying.

 

 

 

 

It’s hard to forget every time they begin their emergence.  Probably 40 years ago I remember driving to work one day and watching some lady at a bus stop having a very heated battle with one with her umbrella, it was hard to tell who was winning that battle.

Then during that same visit, I had a good friend who really went nuts, she was absolutely terrified of them.  At the time I drove a VW Karmin Gia, a VW type of sports car.  There was no back seat, just a shelf where you could put your groceries.  Three of us were going somewhere so she climbed in back sitting crunched up on the shelf.  Just about the time she got settled into her very cramped position, a friendly Cicada began chirping, very loudly.  Dana let out a scream that would challenge an atom bomb explosion and almost tore my little car apart trying to get out.  I never laughed so hard in my life!!

Anyway, the Cicadas are currently visiting and I enjoy the hum of their chirping and an occasional face-to-face encounter.  What I don’t enjoy is running my car through the car wash and then having them smash into my windows as I drive down the road.  But some things are what they are.  They will head underground for another 17-year hiatus very soon.  Until then, lean back and enjoy!!!