Cue the Chorus
In coming weeks, nature s symphony will include Brood X cicadas as they emerge from 17 years underground.
Magicicada septendecim adult male. Photo: Dan Century, Flickr
by J. Morton Galetto, CU Maurice River
Lifecycle of cicada. Compilation by author. Photos: Clockwise, from top, Stephen Little, Peter Myers, CU archive, Cicada Mania, “Amy” – Flickr, CU archive.
One person’s idea of a noisy racket is another’s favorite rock band. By and large I have a real aversion to noise. On the other hand, I’m a sucker for natural phenomena. So when one of nature’s extravaganzas involves noise I try to adjust my mindset and find it awesome versus dreadful. But I’ll admit our subject creature challenges my auditory sensitivities. A few are fine, but a crowd is a 1960s spacecraft hovering. In fact the sound made by these creatures are by magnitude almost two times louder than a vacuum cleaner’s 70 decibels (dB), beating city traffic (80 dB); alarm clocks, hair
The cicada's clicking hum starts slow and builds to a crescendo that conjures images of a hot summer day when Slurpees ruled, and Big Buddies were the gum of choice.