The yard is littered with cicada molts. Dozens of them on the fence, in the irises, in the roses, and hanging from trees. They fall into cobwebs and sway in the breeze. Then the wind sweeps them away, making room for new waves of emergence.
Is it like this every year?
Have I been so blind? I don’t want to believe it. How could I have missed such a glorious swarm?
What’s more, how could I have walked past a cicada caught in a spider web without stopping to stare? I found another one today. This time the web belonged to a much smaller spider than yesterday’s garden giant.
I believe this summer has produced an extraordinarily large population of cicadas, though I have no proof.
For that matter, much of what I believe can’t be proven. So I’ll go ahead and say it with confidence–this summer has produced an extraordinarily large population of cicadas.
(Here’s a clip of the noise they make, their “song.” It’s loud, so you might want to reduce the volume on your speakers before playing.)
Rae Spencer 