Once the summer ends, as will be the case this Wednesday, my eardrums will begin to calm down somewhat after a summer long infiltration of constant noise made by those pesky Cicadas. I hear them but seldom see them, except the shell they leave behind. According to Wikipedia, Cicadas feed on sap and are benign to humans. They do not bite or sting. I mention that for an un-named friend who was recently worried that one might get in her hair or land on her. That was after we spotted one above her.

Cicadas have been known to overwhelm a tree as numbers of females lay their eggs in the shoots. Some small trees have been known to wilt and larger trees may lose small branches. That, I have not seen in this area. Basically they do little damage except drive me crazy with their noise.

That exceptionally loud and constant noise is produced not by what they call stridulating, or rubbing body parts, but by vibrating drum-like tymbals rapidly. Tymbals are membranes in the abdomen of a Cicada and they are responsible for the deafening characteristic sound produced by the insect.

By the way, there are some 2500 different species of Cicadas in the world. So if we can remove the tymbals from them, a peaceful quiet summer just might be possible. Good luck with that. Where are my earplugs?

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