Tonight in my yard I heard the STRANGEST sound coming from one of my trees. Really, if I didn't know better, I might have guessed that it was some kind of monkey being attacked by a rattlesnake. "Chica-chica-chica-chica EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-chica-chica-chica-chica" it screeched into the night.
What the hell?
Davy The Unflappable theorized it must be some kind of weird cicada.
HUH?
Cicadas are part of summer in Texas. Really, it's one of the clearest signs that the true summer heat has set in. First you get your June bugs, and then come the cicadas. As a kid, we used to do all sorts of weird things with the dried up skins they left on the trunks of the huge oak trees at summer camp and in our grandparents' lawns. They were great for scientific study, puppet shows, and terrorist attacks. I'm sure any child of Texas could make their own list of cicada skin activities.
And at night, the sound of their song would lull you to sleep.
But what I heard tonight? Honey, I KNOW cicadas, and that was NO cicada!
Only it turns out it WAS!!!!!! Check this out: http://texasento.net/Cicada.htm And make sure you scroll down and listen to the sound files. Because they're not kidding. One of over 40 different species of cicada in Texas (who knew?), it appears these guys have moved into Austin for the first time this year. They are NUTS! I hope you all get a chance to hear one, and I hope they don't scare the bejeebers out of you! I can tell you with relative certainty--if one of these guys ends up in your yard, he won't be lulling you gently to sleep!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Odd sounds those little guys can make - that's for sure. I remember as a kid being at Girl Scout Camp and being totally and completely freaked out by them!!!
see... i've had these in my trees all summer - i dont even notice them anymore (unless it's particularly piercing)
that freaked the dog out.
Post a Comment