Cicadas in Texas, Delightfully Creepy Creatures
Summer brings in the heat here in Texas. And along with the arrival of sweltering temperatures come the Cicadas. This year they've arrived in hordes, and as if on cue, with the Cicadas and their constant humming, summer brings the Cicada Killer Wasps.
Sound like something out of a Science Fiction novel or from Edgar Allen Poe? Take a look at the pictures and tell me that these insects come from this planet. They've taken over the trees, the walls, the chain link fence, and my back porch this year. As the seasons change we see a variety of insects that seem to show up out of nowhere and take over. Sometimes it's the Preying Mantis, Dragon flies or Daddy Long Leg spiders. We've seen plagues of giant grasshoppers, yellow and bug-eyed, spitting their tobacco everywhere. But for now, we have the Cicada invasion.
It begins around June each year. When the sun goes down and lights go on inside our house, the random whaaack of a Cicada impacts the glass of a lit window. When the creature's trajectory becomes flawed and the giant flying bug misses its intended target it's usually lights out for these awesome bugs. During the day their continuous shreeeeeeeeeeeeeee echoes from their hiding places in branches of the trees. Coming as no surprise, the male of the species is responsible for the sounds of the shrieking call with vibrations that come from membranes located on their abdomens. Different calls are hard to distinguish; theirs is a language of its own, whether expressing alarm or attracting a mate.
On the positive side of the invasion, these creepy creatures draw a host of birds who feast on their tasty prey, the Cicada. Families of Cardinals flock to my back yard as they enjoy the meaty feast, along with Mocking Birds, Black Crows and Mourning Doves.
Unfortunately, the multitude of bugs also draws its primary predator, the Cicada Killer Wasp which is among the largest of its species measuring almost two inches long. These ground dwelling Killer Wasps generally don't sting humans unless they're startled or irritated or just plain mean. They fulfill the evolutionary process of nature using the Cicadas as host for their reproductive cycle, by laying their eggs in the cavity of the Cicada. Not so good for the Cicadas whose hundreds of eggs are laid in a scratched out area of bark in trees. Cicada offspring, called nymphs, fall to the ground and reside in holes that resemble the homes of their ground dwelling enemies, the killer wasps.
There are over 3,000 species of Cicadas across the world varying in size and design. The Texas Cicadas are very large, remaining true to Texas standards. The life cycle of Cicadas is in some cases as long as 17 years. Some societies actually consider the Cicada as a powerful symbol of rebirth. In some cultures, Cicadas are eaten as food, mostly the meatier females, and in others such as the Chinese, their discarded shells are used in traditional medicine.
As I duck through the path of random bugs taking flight from low hanging tree branches, I long for the cooler days of fall when they will return to their cozy digs underground, slumbering until next June when they will again emerge victorious.
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Comments
Awesome pics!
Thanks Zack. They're taken in my back yard. The one with the ruler was on the porch. My puppy was trying to eat it. Thankfully it was already dead.
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