Cicada Songs (for “Cicada Mania”)
They say your songs
portend the end of summer
just as chirping robins
usher in the spring air.
Listen to the sound
whirring, buzzing through
leaves of trees that shelter
the thrumming brood.
Insect monks chant
hymns of nature
for us and for
their silent females: “mate her.”
More musical than electric currents
that hum along power lines,
your symphony hovers,
guarding the sultry night like armored palatines.
Constant and pervasive,
we humans sometimes hear
sometimes ban your frequencies,
lulled to sleep by drums so dear.
Air conditioners and headphones
drown out your beautiful noise
but others sing with you
till Fall’s frost steals these little joys.
-DFG
Spot It! Cicadas. An article about finding cicadas: you have a few more weeks. Go find them. The article requires (faked) registration. (thx Roy)
Singing of cicadas keeps neighbors awake late. Can you relate? Somebody tell the reporter (his email address is on the page) that it’s 99% likely they’re hearing katydids, not cicadas.
The Animal Planet has a new TV show called Buggin’ with Ruud.
From the Animal Planet website:
Perhaps more than any human on earth, Ruud Kleinpaste knows what it’s like to be a bug. Studying the world of insects has become his life’s work and passion. He has written books and countless columns, appeared on radio and television shows, researched tirelessly and put his own body to the test to report on the important role bugs play in the world. Animal Planet’s series, BUGGIN’ WITH RUUD, is a dream come true for Kleinpaste, as he ventures to entertain and educate millions of viewers about bugs large and small.
Sample this fantastic video of Ruud explaining how cicadas make their sound (thanks Roy).
In October of 2005 the 6th International Film Festival of Insects (FIFI) will be held in Prades France.
From the FIFI homepage:
Since 1995, OPIE-LR (Office for the Insects and their Environment in Languedoc-Roussillon) has organized the International Festival of Film on Insects every two years.
This 6th biennial event will take place from 5th to 9th October 2005 in Prades (Pyrénées Orientales) in southern France.
FIFI is a cultural, educational, scientific and convivial feast with an international dimension. This year it occurs in a unique natural site: Canigou mountain, which has 7 Nature Reserves and the Regional Natural Park of Pyrénées Catalanes
Someone asked how loud Tibicens were in terms of decibels. According to the University of Florida Book of Insect Records the Tibicen resh has a maximum sound pressure level of 107.2db, and the Tibicen pronotalis has a max SPL of 108.9db. Other species of Tibicen seem to max out around 80-100db. Here’s a general list of decibel levels for everyday machinery.
Bonus: here’s a few unrealated links:
A French Canadian Tibicen page (thanks Roy).
Return of the Cicadas from WTVN.
Here’s a cute image for you: a cicada and its cousin, the leafhopper, in the same picture. If you look closely, you’ll see they look alike. Cicadas and leafhoppers belong to the same superfamily called Cicadoidea. Cicadas belong to the family Cicadidae, and leafhoppers belong to the family Cicadellidae.
Here’s some tips for finding and photographing newly emerged cicadas at night:
- Look for cicadas on trees where you’ve heard cicadas during the day, or where you’ve seen cicada nymph exoskeletons.
- Cicada nymphs emerge from the ground shortly after dusk. You can start your hunt then.
- Carry a flashlight and your camera. As you approach a tree, shine the flashlight on the ground close to the tree. You don’t want to step on any of them!
- Scan the tree trunk and all the limbs with your flashlight. Once you spot one, get ready with your camera.
- If you don’t spot any cicadas after dusk, try a half hour later, and then a half an hour after that, up until 11pm.
- Non-techie digital camera tips:
- Set the camera on auto or portrait (usually a picture of a profile).
- Set the focus on Macro (usually a picture of a tulip) or manual.
- Experiment with these settings.
- Don’t touch the cicadas: for the most natural photos, you don’t want them to be disturbed.
Good luck. These tips have paid off for me. I hope they’ll work for you!
