Cicada Invasion

Who knew we'd feel like we were in a black and white Hitchcock movie...

Cicada's have always been one of those things I claimed as a southerner. I was proud to be able to recognize their chirp and would even collect the shells they left behind to freak out my little sister. A"true" southerner knows cicadas I thought. However, this weekend when I visited Guntersville, AL I found out how little I really knew.

For example, although their is an annual version of this critter, the serious bugs only come out every 13 or 17 years.  The magicicada. That's right, they grow underground for an UNBELIEVABLY long time, only to come out - mate - and die. I found all this out only after experiencing the invasion for myself. Close to Guntersville, my friends and I suddenly realized that even with the windows up and the music on in our car, we could hear an odd hum outside. "Must be getting really hot; The bugs are out," we sort of said to ourselves, not noticing abnormal number of giant insects plowing into the car's windshield. 

When we arrived, not only did it look like we had driven through a berry fight, but also the trees around us were swarming with the singing critters. My friend Grace's grandmother was constantly having to sweep the dead ones off her porch saying, "You can tell them by their red eyes," and held one up for us to see.  Although they seem a bit gross at first glance, their is something fascinating about Brood XIX to me. Like a meteor shower or a lunar eclipse, you just don't see this every day. They're a massive natural choir singing their summer love songs. So the real question is, are you being invaded? Hope they're not bugging you.

(Clever Prints from Nashville Artists)