17 Year Cicadas May 2008

Listen to the background sound in this video - it was the cacaphony heard all week at the Leadership Retreat at the Bend of Ivy Centre in the Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina, June 2008.
While the familiar green-and-black Dog-Day Cicadas are present every July and August in small numbers, the Periodical Cicadas appear, simultaneously, only once in seventeen years in any given area. Periodical cicadas do not emerge everywhere at the same time. Twelve broods of 17-year cicadas appear in different areas of the north eastern U.S. in different years, emerging from late May through June. Their bright red eyes and reddish markings distinguish the Periodical Cicadas from the Dog-Day Cicadas which emerge later in the summer (July through August) and have green markings. Each brood actually consists of up to three separate species which all emerge together. Each looks slightly different and the males of each species court their ladies with a different serenade. If a human takes the time to listen and try to sort out what seems to be cacophony, he or she can easily distinguish these three songs.

These cicadas were emerging the whole week spent in the Blue Ridge Mountains (May 26 -- June 1) and their serenade was quite loud and evident throughout most of the day. You can hear them on the video.

The cicada nymph burrowing out of the ground has been a symbol of rebirth or reincarnation in a number of societies.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Periodical
• Cicadas
• North
• Carolina
• Blue
• Ridge
• Mountains
• Bend
• of
• Ivy
• Centre
• cicada
• nymph

[RobinRRD]

I was visiting myself - can't tell you about the lightening bugs. We call them fireflies up here in Canada. :) I'm sure they were there - I just can't recall now.

The time period was late May and early June. And remember, this was North Carolina.

I was just so impressed with the sound more than anything.

We have cicadas also in the latter part of the summer up here in Ontario.

[pcpaul1000]

May? I thought they came out in July/August? Do you have lots of lightning bugs there too?