Cicada Hell

Brood X, these guys are called.  I'm sure you've heard of them on the news, if you haven't actually seen them in person.  They come out every 17 years to breed, and thank goodness it isn't more often.  We don't even have it as bad as some other folks I know.  A friend of ours has piles of dead cicadas or their molts on his curb, like fall leaves!  Nothing like moving into a new house only to be inundated by huge bugs.  At least they don't bite or destroy your plants, but still!  There is also the sound they make.  To me it sounds like an old Star Trek phaser.  But it is constant.  They seem to make this sound only in the mornings and maybe early afternoons, but not at night.  It can get a bit much especially if there are a good number fairly close by.

I definitely have thought about eating them, because they are likely to be excellent sources of protein, vitamins, and minerals, but even though I can be somewhat adventurous, somehow I can't see actually bringing these things into the house.  This guy tried some and ended up in the hospital, but unless you have food allergies, the worste you will probably get is nausea or indegestion.

Last night we went out into the back yard and the grass was literally crawling with the things, which were heading toward the nearest tree.  It was too dark to take any good shots last night, but I finally got around to taking a few this morning.  I'm going to try again tomorrow maybe, since these were taken in a hurry, and are not the best shots.  Also, I don't have the software here at work to get anything other than the imbedded 640x480 jpeg, whereas most of the shots I have available for viewing are 800x600, so once I get the chance I will get these replaced by larger shots.

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