hummingwolf | (no subject)

There were moments on my evening walk tonight when I couldn't hear any cicadas at all, no matter how hard I tried. Of course the fact that I was walking next to a busy highway at the time may have had something to do with it. Even so, I guarantee that if I'd taken my walk in midafternoon, no ordinary level of traffic noise would have blotted out the rattles, hums, clicks, and screams.

Tonight I had to go on a search and rescue mission. Cicadas have an irresistible urge to fly between the screens and storm windows on this floor even though they seem unable to remember how to get out again, so when I heard a high-pitched rattle next to me as I was reading in bed, I removed the screen to allow the unfortunate Magicicada to fly outside. Naturally (and you knew this was coming), the bug decided my room was a more attractive option. It's a good thing for me that cicadas have no talent for stealth operations--even when they're not singing, those suckers beat their wings pretty loudly. Still, I never could have trapped the insect and sent it on its way if not for the fact that it engaged in a losing battle against one of my vast army of dust bunnies.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

our porch light must attract them at night -- i find the screen of the stormdoor covered with them in the mornings. after a while, they fly away. zack's in the front room right now, keeping watch over them. luckily they're on the *outside* of the door, but just yesterday gerry found an empty shell on the floor near his gardening books in here. i wouldn't mind them at all if they didn't hurt my ears!

Figured out last night that light really does attract them. When there were not one but two of the little guys stuck in my window and rattling around inside, I turned off the room light and shone a flashlight underneath them to try to lure them back out into the open. Worked like a charm!