Cicadas I Have Known

The first time the 17-year “locusts,” as we called them, came, was the year I turned 8. I remember being grossed out by the thick coating of exoskeletons on the ground. At least that’s what I remember. It probably wasn’t that bad. Was it?

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From the internet: North America is the only place in the world where you find periodic cicadas. This is the first time in 221 years that two periodic broods will hatch at the same time, making it an event rarer than a solar eclipse. The loud, unpleasant (to us) noise they made is actually a serenade, the males wooing the females.

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17 years ago, we were sitting in our back yard when a robin flew into view. A cicada was impaled on its beak; it couldn’t open its mouth. There was nothing we could do for it except pray. Surely the God who sees the sparrows cares for robins, too.

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From the internet: Cicadas are incredibly bad at not being eaten. Almost every animal, zoo animals and dogs and cats, feast on them. Their extremely, irritatingly noise makes them easy to locate. Plus, they have no defense — no bite, no sting, no venom. And they’re not even good fliers.

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I’m in my little garden patches a lot this spring. The cicadas are everywhere now, but my attitude has been, I don’t bother you, so don’t bother me. It worked well until yesterday when, hot, sore and sweaty, I came in and sat down, bone-weary. Jenna looked at me and said, “You have a cicada on your shirt.”

I jumped up. “Where!”

“It’s on your neck now,” she replied.

“Get it off me!” I said, perhaps a little louder than necessary.

Seconds later, it was gone. I made Jenna check me all over. No more bugs. But I was still creeped out until I’d take a shower.

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The Bible says, Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! (Genesis 1:31 NLT) That must have included cicadas. And now that I know they are welcome food source I feel a little better. But only a little.

The internet says that this invasion will last about 4 weeks. I come from hardy pioneer stock, so I can probably make it through. June might be a long month. (The internet also says they are also delicious covered in chocolate. I will never know. Not even for chocolate.)