There was a familiar sound in the maple trees last week, as temperatures were beastly hot... cicadas!
To hear them is to dive deep into the water of summer. Cicadas, fireflies, heat, humidity, and flowers... they are all claiming their place again in the cycle of the year.
Yesterday, we had a spectacular thunderstorm. I am glad we did not see the tornadoes that others saw. Here, we had constant rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning. Afterward, the sky continued to put on a show, as I looked out and saw a rainbow arching across the sky, all of the colors clearly visible.
I'm working on getting a photo of that rainbow on here. Stay tuned!
Showing posts with label cicadas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cicadas. Show all posts
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Cicadas again
Just a few notes this evening: the cicadas are back. The temperature has climbed back into the upper 80s, and I hear them again in the maples. Summer has a couple of weeks to go, after all!
This morning, Venus shone very brightly in the Eastern sky. The Summer Triangle is still overhead.
Sunflowers and thistles are flowering on the roadsides. Their cheerful colors have been around for a couple of months now, so I find myself taking them for granted, until I think about how things will look in winter. That is incentive enough to delight in the intense yellows and purples.
Enjoy the last weeks of summer!
This morning, Venus shone very brightly in the Eastern sky. The Summer Triangle is still overhead.
Sunflowers and thistles are flowering on the roadsides. Their cheerful colors have been around for a couple of months now, so I find myself taking them for granted, until I think about how things will look in winter. That is incentive enough to delight in the intense yellows and purples.
Enjoy the last weeks of summer!
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Weather changes
This morning, a definite chill was in the air. Orion has begun its climb in the Eastern sky. And this evening, something is missing.
The cicadas have gone silent.
I heard them again, briefly, this afternoon when the sun warmed the air. But it is strangely quiet this evening, with only the buzz of crickets in the air. For months now, we have heard a constant, loud chorus in the maple trees in the yard.
The seasons are changing again. I saw chrysanthemums at the garden center today, and pumpkins at the grocery store. Football dominates television. It seems too early for it all, but I miss the cicadas already.
The cicadas have gone silent.
I heard them again, briefly, this afternoon when the sun warmed the air. But it is strangely quiet this evening, with only the buzz of crickets in the air. For months now, we have heard a constant, loud chorus in the maple trees in the yard.
The seasons are changing again. I saw chrysanthemums at the garden center today, and pumpkins at the grocery store. Football dominates television. It seems too early for it all, but I miss the cicadas already.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Summer heat
For the past week, the birdbath has been the most popular feature of our yard, as the heat index has consistently been over 100 degrees. I counted twelve young robins in the yard at one point, waiting to bathe. Sometimes they seem to wait patiently, at other times they seem like squabbling siblings jockeying for position.
We've had to refill it at least three times a day. They splash with abandon, sending a spray of droplets all over the lawn around the birdbath. Some of the robins walk around underneath, fluffing out their feathers in the wet grass. There is almost always one sitting on my statue of St. Francis's head, waiting for a turn. I don't think he'd mind.
The evenings have been spent watching fireflies and bats. These days the sun doesn't go down until almost 9pm. The days seem to go on forever. In spite of the heat, I'm treasuring these moments with the young birds, the fireflies, and the cicadas. Fall will be here all too soon.
We've had to refill it at least three times a day. They splash with abandon, sending a spray of droplets all over the lawn around the birdbath. Some of the robins walk around underneath, fluffing out their feathers in the wet grass. There is almost always one sitting on my statue of St. Francis's head, waiting for a turn. I don't think he'd mind.
The evenings have been spent watching fireflies and bats. These days the sun doesn't go down until almost 9pm. The days seem to go on forever. In spite of the heat, I'm treasuring these moments with the young birds, the fireflies, and the cicadas. Fall will be here all too soon.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Summer's Close
We took a brief walk on a local trail to soak in the last of summer.
The only sounds were the insects: cicadas and grasshoppers. I didn't hear any birds.
I noted fat milkweed pods ripening. One had dried and split open, spilling fluffy seeds out. One was full of red and black milkweed bugs.
Some grasses were drying, and turning a beautiful shade of umber. And the Asters have appeared. These have always been harbingers of fall for me.
Sunflowers were still flowering, but I saw many seedheads.
Just a few more days until the official start of fall!!!
The only sounds were the insects: cicadas and grasshoppers. I didn't hear any birds.
I noted fat milkweed pods ripening. One had dried and split open, spilling fluffy seeds out. One was full of red and black milkweed bugs.
Some grasses were drying, and turning a beautiful shade of umber. And the Asters have appeared. These have always been harbingers of fall for me.
Sunflowers were still flowering, but I saw many seedheads.
Just a few more days until the official start of fall!!!
Monday, June 23, 2014
Summer Serenade
I was washing dishes this evening, when I realized that I was hearing a very familiar sound in this unfamiliar place... cicadas! How appropriate for this evening, one of the shortest nights of the year.
Cicadas are such interesting insects. I remember being stunned to see the pretty colors on a live one when I was a kid, since previously I had only seen the split brown exoskeletons on the trees.
We had one type in Tennessee that sounded just like a chainsaw. That one was a periodical cicada that only makes an appearance above ground in a 13 or 17 year cycle. The cicada I am hearing tonight here in NE is the more common "dog day" cicada, but I believe periodical cicadas appear here, too.
June 23rd is now marked as Nebraska "cicada day" for me. It is very possible that they were out a while ago, and I did not notice them before tonight, but it will be interesting to see when I first notice them in future years.
The fireflies are out in full force, too.
Cicadas are such interesting insects. I remember being stunned to see the pretty colors on a live one when I was a kid, since previously I had only seen the split brown exoskeletons on the trees.
We had one type in Tennessee that sounded just like a chainsaw. That one was a periodical cicada that only makes an appearance above ground in a 13 or 17 year cycle. The cicada I am hearing tonight here in NE is the more common "dog day" cicada, but I believe periodical cicadas appear here, too.
June 23rd is now marked as Nebraska "cicada day" for me. It is very possible that they were out a while ago, and I did not notice them before tonight, but it will be interesting to see when I first notice them in future years.
The fireflies are out in full force, too.
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