back again

Cicadas are back, but of a different variety. The annual cicadas that usually arrive in August are not as intense an experience as the 17-year brood we just experienced. I wasn't expecting to see the annual guys for a few more weeks, but discovered a newly emerged one in my garden yesterday.



And on an odd, related note, I saw something online about cicada ringtones for cell phones. Is it just me, or is the while ringtone thing getting a little too strange?

report from Cicadaland

The cicadas are gone now. The other day I heard one buzzing along Damen near 96th, but that had to be one very lonely cicada. I guess that guy missed the party.

It seemed like the city's mother lode was here in Beverly. A co-worker who lives around 98th & Lowe had none near her. A friend near 121st & Western (Blue Island) also had none. It was the same with many friends in different neighborhoods around the city.

The Tribune still has their cicada map online, linked to this story.

finally free

Now that the cicadas are gone, I was finally able to free my tiny Japanese maple from the netting that's been wrapped around it to protect it from egg-laying damage.

hitching a ride

Last night I was getting on the train at LaSalle Street station and noticed a cicada on the platform. There sure aren't any big trees close to there, so I wondered how it got there. This morning a co-worker was mentioning that she'd seen cicadas on her train on the way downtown. Perhaps the LaSalle St. cicada hitched a ride on the Rock Island. ;)

cicadas are out

I started seeing large numbers of cicadas almost a week ago while walking to the train. That night, I didn't see any hint of those that had emerged. Later I got the answer: seagulls. Large flocks of seagulls started showing up in the neighborhood in the next 2 days, unusual here, since we're several miles inland. They swooped down on lawns and sidewalks, chowing down on the free critter buffet. At times it looks like a scene out of Hitchcock's "The Birds."

Here's a newly emerged cicada on the sidewalk.


Here are cicada shells left behind on a tree after they've molted.


The cicadas have been singing for the last few days, but they're a bit quieter than I expected, at least on our block. Seems like the gulls have made a bit of dent in the cicada population.

critters

After seeing cicada emergence holes in my yard for about a week, I finally saw actual cicadas out and about. Saw hundreds on the sidewalks on my way to the train this a.m.

On a different note, a friend in Huntsville, Alabama, often has interesting stories of critter sightings in her yard. Lately she's been seeing wild turkeys walking around. Can't say I've ever seen any wild turkeys here in Chicago.

ready for cicadas

First I had to make a little cage around my baby Japanese maple to keep the rabbits from eating it. I had to add some fine tulle mesh (available cheap at any fabric store) to keep the cicadas from getting to it. Ready or not, cicadas are coming soon.