The Queen of Seaford: nature

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Nature's Interlude

I know some of you may have noticed I haven't posted for a little while and haven't visited your blogs either. Over spring break we had company. I cringe at the number of unread blog posts I have in my Google reader. I will get back to reading slowly but surely!

In the meanwhile I thought I would share some of the sounds of nature. We are in the midst of the 13 year cicadas and their love songs. The males sit in the tops of the trees and sing and sing and sing. The singing lasts about 6 weeks. Once the cicadas mate, the female lays her eggs in the leafy material nearby and both the male and the female die. The eggs hatch, the larva drop to the ground, burrow into the soil, remerging 13 years later. The larva feast on the tender foilage in the landscape. click on the video and make sure your speakers are on. The song lasts ALL DAY LONG.....it sounds like a spaceship is hovering just above the house. This is my backyard ---

My friend Ann posted a similar video on Facebook. It wasn't too loud here ---I thought there was a lot of fuss about very little. A few days later the cicadas' song grew louder in my part of the community. I worked outside on Sunday afternoon and the noise was incredible. I thought the cicadas would be at night like the crickets and other creatures that we hear after dark. Once the sun goes down, these red-eyed bugs are silent.

this one is on my front porch....

Remember finding the exoskeletons as kids? I sure do--- and I am finding them everywhere these days.

Think this spider may be taking this one somewhere else?

The birds have been pretty active lately. I saw and photographed a couple new ones. The first one I am pretty sure is a Summer Tanager---this isn't the best photo, but this guy was in the top of the tree and singing his heart out!