If you’re scared of bugs, you might want to look away, dear Pandas. However, if you’re a nature-lover or simply curious to learn more about the world, then we’ve got an exciting story for you. There’s love in the air in the eastern United States, and billions, possibly even trillions, of cicadas are putting the moves on one another by showing off their musical skills.
After spending a whopping 17 years buried underground in an immature nymph state, these cicadas collectively known as Brood X or the Great Eastern Brood have finally emerged for everyone to see them in their full glory. The spectacle is awe-inspiring (and a tad terrifying if I’m completely honest).
SANTA FE, N.M.; Wednesday, May 19, 2021 -A new city-wide initiative will provide flower-rich spaces for bees, butterflies and other pollinators to call home across Santa Fe. The Xerces Society, in partnership with local residents and conservation organizations, is launching the Santa Fe Pollinator Trail program this spring, with the goal of creating connected, climate-smart pollinator habitat throughout the city. “Santa Fe is an excellent location to launch this new program for urban pollinator habitat,” said Kaitlin Haase, Southwest Pollinator Conservation Specialist for the Xerces Society. “There is tremendous enthusiasm for pollinator conservation throughout the community, from individuals who are excited to grow native wildflowers to local nonprofits dedicated to urban conservation and environmental education.”
How Cicada Fungus Makes the Bugs Try and Mate Like Crazy So It Can Spread
On 5/24/21 at 12:53 PM EDT
Periodical cicadas are seven species from the genus
Magicicada that emerge from the ground every 13 or 17 years in North America. The cicadas that will burst from the ground in 2021 are referred to as Brood X.
These cicadas spend most of their lives underground as nymphs, but when the 13- or 17-year period is over depending on the species the insects crawl out of the soil and molt, transforming into their adult phase. During this phase of their life, the cicadas mate and lay eggs.
Farm Folk, Should I Be Worried About Mice Invading My Yard?
I love my neighborhood because it s nestled between a lot of farmland. It s quiet and gorgeous and traffic is really light during the hours I travel most. I also happen to live near a mint farm, so the air stays smelling quite fresh. And even when it doesn t, I weirdly enjoy the smells that come with horses and cows. Living surrounded by so much agriculture has introduced me to a myriad of bugs I ve never seen before. But what I didn t anticipate was mice.
A tiny cutie mouse was darting about my backyard a week ago, making the kids squeal in equal parts fear and Awwwww. Didn t we all grow up learning that the sight of a mouse is terrifying. But when I say this little guy was adorable, it s almost an understatement. Look at this Pixar worthy little fella.