The cicadas are back! (Chicago, La Grange: new house, live, eat)

[JustJulia]

We moved here late July of last year, and I remember listening to the sizzle of cicadas as we lay in our new house at night. I was pretty sure I had heard them when I was out here in June, looking at houses, but June came and went with no cicadas. A friend told me that the cicadas last year were the 13-year or 17-year kind or whatever, but I was pretty sure those were different. (The yearly ones are green with black eyes, but the 13-year kind are black with red eyes.)

I heard a couple of telltale rattles yesterday, and this morning one of my trees is buzzing away. I'm glad they're back ... it's such a soothing sound to me. I like to listen to my trees "talk" to one another at night. It really does sound like they are talking back and forth.

Are the cicadas appearing late this summer? Is it because this summer has been relatively cool?

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by JustJulia

We moved here late July of last year, and I remember listening to the sizzle of cicadas as we lay in our new house at night. I was pretty sure I had heard them when I was out here in June, looking at houses, but June came and went with no cicadas. A friend told me that the cicadas last year were the 13-year or 17-year kind or whatever, but I was pretty sure those were different. (The yearly ones are green with black eyes, but the 13-year kind are black with red eyes.)

I heard a couple of telltale rattles yesterday, and this morning one of my trees is buzzing away. I'm glad they're back ... it's such a soothing sound to me. I like to listen to my trees "talk" to one another at night. It really does sound like they are talking back and forth.

Are the cicadas appearing late this summer? Is it because this summer has been relatively cool?

You may have them confused with just plain ol' Locusts. They have a pretty similar sound and yes I have heard them buzzing away in Orland too a couple of days ago when it was somewhat sunny out and somewhat warm and humid. They've been quiet since though. They usually will be out buzzing around when it's hot. I remember my grandma telling me years ago that if you hear them, then you know it's hot outside and that hot weather is going to be around for a while if they are really loud.

[Steve-o]

Havent heard a peep all year. Kinda glad about that because NYRules is actually right... seems like the hotter it gets the louder they get. Nothing worse than stepping outside at 8AM and hearing the cicadas buzzin their heads off. All you can do is shake your head and say "crap, gonna be a hot one today."

[NYrules]

I kind of miss them though as by me they would drown out the sound of the traffic over on La Grange Road and ambulances escorting victims to and from Palos Hosp. It was nice to go out in the yard on a hot day and lay out in the sun listening to the constant roar and just fall asleep to them much the way many people including myself must have a fan on in their room to create a constant roar to go to sleep.

[via chicago]

There are cicadas every year, they're just a different breed than the 17 year variety, and obviously theres much fewer of them

[Lookout Kid]

I haven't heard cicadas yet. They seem to be a late summer phenomenon. I mentally associate them with hot August evenings.

[Avengerfire]

^They come earlier in rural areas and the farther one is away from the lake.^

Cicada soup anyone?

[linicx]

Cicadas, if I am correct, or maybe it is the swarm of locust, that destroys crops and eats tree leaves. When you are away from the city noise and lights, you hear the crickets and see the bats all night long. Its not so much where I live because the city sprays twice a week in the summer.

[Lookout Kid]

^^Sprays for mosquitoes (which bats eat)? This practice seemed to stop several years ago, but the City of Chicago started doing it again recently because of West Nile Virus fears.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Cicada soup anyone?

Sounds like a I'm a Celebrity, Get me Out of Here challenge...