Cicadas

[Squirrel Girl]

Is it just me, or are the "normal" cicadas out there right now every bit as loud as the 17 year ones last summer?

[pete]

Its just you. Last year was an ongoing drone that one could hear as soon as they walked outside and nearly feel in certain spots.

[Squirrel Girl]

Its just you.Hey!

Last year was an ongoing drone that one could hear as soon as they walked outside and nearly feel in certain spots.I was disappointed that where I lived, it was mostly suburbized farm field and there weren't many cicadas. But I went mtbing in the woods elsewhere in the metro area, so it's not like I completely missed them. This morning as I went past woods, the cicadas seemed as loud as I remembered them from last year. Maybe the eastern Loudoun woods are especially good habitat to normal cicadas.

[notrelatedtoted]

But I was pretty disappointed in the brood X cicadas last year - after all the hype, I was imagining a plague of bilblical proportions. I think I'd agree that the ones last year were louder, but not by much.

What's neat is that my 6 yr old has the uncanny ability to find them and catch them. I got an opportunity to see one of the regular ones up close (I'm from out west, so it's all new to me). It was about the same size as the brood X, but green and white. In my opinion, it was definitely uglier than last year's batch.....

[Squirrel Girl]

But I was pretty disappointed in the brood X cicadas last year - after all the hype, I was imagining a plague of bilblical proportions.Me, too. I figured they'd be whacking me right and left as I pedaled through the woods. But no. They just hang from the trees, more or less. In fact this morning, something smacked me in the glasses, and I assume it was a cicada. It didn't meet any of my imagined expections from last year.

[mtrostle]

IMHO, I think they're louder than normal this year. I was also was expecting last years cicadas to be more intense than it really was :( . The only thing that got me was when I was driving down the back country roads to work every morning. For the first few days it felt like somebody was throwing little stones at my Jeep. Thump, thump, thump :confused: It was an eye opener when you're half asleep while driving, especially when a couple "bounced" off your windshield at the same time :eek: I remember the last time the 17 year locust came around and I spent the summer at my cabin Pa. The entire forest came alive and just crawled with them everywhere. I think with all the development that has happened around here in the last 15 years has severely impacted their habitat.

[jks9199]

Last year's depended majorly on exactly where you were. In "old" communities where the soil wasn't disturbed... Well, I almost had to figure out what the coefficient of friction of a cicada-covered road was, and what that would do to braking distances. New places where the "resting" cicadas were woken and turned into house foundations... They weren't bad at all. The difference between home in Manassas and work in Vienna was dramatic. Now we're getting the ones who are on a little different timer...

Jim

[moishi]

Well, I almost had to figure out what the coefficient of friction of a cicada-covered road was, and what that would do to braking distances.

Jim

Jim, you're scaring me....

Mo

[kuru]

I haven't heard any this year. We didn't get any up here last year. I had to go east or south to hear them. I miss hearing them I go out riding. I like the sound, it is relaxing to me.

[Vecsus]

when I ride I can never hear them over the sound of my lungs gasping for air.

[morsetaper2]

I think the annual ones are louder on an individual basis. They are also much more difficult to catch. I am referring to the green & black ones.

But the sheer numbers of the brood X ones made for that low droning UFO sound. My development was built in 1985-1986 just before the brood X emergence of 1987. So they still aren't established in my neighborhood.

Last year I had a week off during the first week of June, in between jobs. Was coming down 108 into G-burg. An accident had the road closed in both directions. So I pulled into a park to wait out the airlift.

Cicadas everywhere. It was so cool, you gotta love them. So there were basically none in my neighboorhod. Due to the building of it prior to 1987.

I felt I needed to share the wealth of the parks cicada w/ my neighborhood. I bet I collected 500 of them. It got othe point when I would open the bag to put more in and 20 of them would crawl out. I had several bags of them. On the way home, one of the bags opened and they were everywhere in my truck.

Got home showed the neighborhood kids who'd never seen them. Spread them about. Hope their offspring make it to 2021. The kids were amazed. I am still occaisionally refered to as mr cicada man by one or two of them.

Here is a pic I took last year w/ my then brand new digi-cam.

[liltommy]

I've always wondered what they were officially called.
Why is it I never see them unless they are dying or dead. They have seemed particularily noisy down here in So. Md. this year.

[RetroG]

I've always wondered what they were officially called.
Why is it I never see them unless they are dying or dead. They have seemed particularily noisy down here in So. Md. this year.

I killed one last night while putting a new chain on in the garage. His wings were hammering on the garage door so loud it woke up my kid. Hit it with some Bee Zapper and it made the most God awful "scream" which managed to get the rest of the family out of bed!! They are noisy down here.

[halfinch]

i've noticed they've shown up more in the past week. as for volume, cant say they are worse than last ears. we are surrounded by an older stand of poplars, hickories and locusts so they come out pretty strong.