The 13 Year Cicada!

They are almost gone but wow, I've never seen anything like this in my life. Then again I grew up in Utah, and I'm pretty sure they don't have cicada's.

This particular type of cicada only comes out every 13 years. The larva live in the ground eating off the roots of trees until it's been 13 years and they're ready to erupt. They shed their skin before they develop into the large fly like creatures that they are. The male cicada's are the ones who make the noise that we hear. It goes all day and all night and you can hear it even when you're driving on mature tree lined areas of the interstate. I can hear it in my house and it's been a great white noise for the baby. It drowns out the yippy birds that start squawking around 5am. Anyway I am no entomologist but I'd be willing to bet these cicada's aren't the brightest insects. The noise they make is actually their mating call and they mistake any motor noise and flock to it. If you get close to the trees chances are a cicada will come smacking into you. They don't harm humans in anyway but when they get onto you or fly into you it kind of creeps you out if you're not a big lover. Steve had one fly down his neck into his shirt. I advised him not to raise his voice while outside so the cicada's wouldn't mistake it for a mating call :) My girls will be glad when the cicada's are gone.