Cicadas

When I was a kid, we always hear the  sound of cicadas wqhenevwer we go to the  mountain where my parents  plants their  root crops like sweet potato, corn, and cassava.  The local name for it in my place is "dule-dule", I guess they derive that name from the sound they make.  

According to wikipedia, "The cicadas are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera. They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers."

Cicadas have prominent eyes set wide apart, short antennae, and membranous front wings. They have an exceptionally loud song, produced not by stridulation, but by vibrating drumlike tymbals rapidly. 

 The earliest known fossil Cicadomorpha appeared in the Upper Permian period; extant species occur all around the world in temperate to tropical climates. They typically live in trees, feeding on sap, and laying their eggs in a slit in the bark. Most cicadas are cryptic, singing at night to avoid predators. 

 The periodic cicadas spend most of their lives as underground nymphs, emerging only after 13 or 17 years, most likely to reduce losses by satiating their predators.

 This year is the 17th year where cicadas are suppose to emerge specifically in Maryland, New York, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvannia, and West Virginia.

 When we were gardening on Mother's day, we  dug out so many cicadas, they were still buried on the ground.  Now that are out in full force.

They are invading my garden, they are everywhere especially in the sidewalks.  Our dogs are attracted to them and wants to chew on them.  Fortunately, they are not  poisonous to the furry babies.  In fact, I read an article that people eat them.  It said that you can roas them, boil them, or bbq them.  For me, no thanks, ewwww!!!!