Periodical Cicadas

Periodical Cicadas

By Shawn Olson

Posted on 05.23.04

I had heard that this year we were being swarmed with the Periodical Cicada but for some reason they avoided my neighborhood. Luckily, my brother planned a picnic at Darby Park and it was there that I found thousands of these crunchy creatures, their husks, and a surround-sound chorus of mating calls that reminded me of the sound effect of phasers in the original Star Trek series. I have not researched this, but according to a good friend, the reason that Cicadas are improperly labeled as "locusts" is that in colonial times colonists saw them swarming and equated them to the biblical locust swarms.

Here are a couple Cicada pages to check out:

More in the Winged Insects Series

    Copyright © 2004-2008 by Shawn Olson.
    periodical locustPeriodical cicada at Big Darby Park in May, 2004.
    molting periodical cicadaA periodical cicada molting.
    cicadaA newly emerged 17-Year cicada climbs up a tree to molt.
    periodical locust huskHusk of a periodical locust.
    periodical locust on fingerPeriodical cicada at Big Darby Park in May, 2004.
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