They needed the ground temperature to be at least 64-degrees F before they would emerge. The warm front that came through yesterday, must have raised the ground temp just enough, because they started to emerge in the masses overnight!
We have a lamppost in the front yard with clematis growing up it...they seem to LOVE this area!
Their are 12 different broods of the 17-year cicada, each on its own cycle. Therefore the ones emerging now are Brood 2, last seen in 1996.
Cicadas have a unique life cycle. After emerging from a long 17-year life underground, the males sing to attract the females, and die soon after mating. The females can lay up to 600 eggs! The eggs will rest on twigs or branches (where ever the female left them) and will hatch later in the season, fall to the ground, and the nymph will burrow into the ground and start the cycle all over again!
My garden flag is covered as well.
But a closer inspection shows that many are empty shells in which the adult Cicada emerged from.
Supposedly the Cicada is a delicacy (low fat, no carb, high protein), though I have not ventured to try them. Our dog, Genny, loves them! And I'm sure they'd make great fishing bait too.
If you are willing, here are a few recipes by Jenna Jadin, an Entomology major at the University of Maryland.
Their are several that catch my eye, such as Cicada-Rhubarb Pie, Banana-Cicada Bread, and Maryland Cicadas.
Have you ever feasted on Cicada? Let me know what you think and your favorite Cicada recipe.
This was shared at the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop.
-Live Simple, Be Happy-
Magnolia Holler
I have never feasted on cicada and don't think I ever would! But it's great that there are some people out there brave enough to do so. I watched a show on cicadas a while back and was so fascinated. It really is so interesting!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say thank you for the comment on my baby bird post. I'm pretty sure they are Eastern Phoebes! The mom was constantly flicking her tail and did look like what you described. Yesterday I noticed another bird was in the nest! So maybe I'll get to see another batch of baby birds :) Thanks for the help!
DeleteOh good! I'm glad you were able to id them. Phoebe's are good to have around, they are flycatchers - they eat mosquitoes and lots of other bugs! (My husband studied Ornithology so he's a wealth of knowledge!) I hope you have more babies to watch! :)
DeleteOur dogs used to eat them, a lot of them. My granddaughter loves to pick them up and chase her mom around!
ReplyDeleteHehe! That sounds like a fun game (for your granddaughter). :)
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