
I’m not sure if I should consider this cicada a gardening friend or foe, but it seemed to be quite interested in what I was doing as I worked on cleaning out one of my flowerbeds.
I’m a curious gal, so did a little reading about cicadas today and enjoyed this National Geographic article (see link below). I learned that the male cicadas mating vocalizations can damage our hearing. If you’ve ever heard a cicada, you will certainly believe that.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/group/cicadas/
I also learned that the cicada that hung out with me is an annual cicada. I also learned that my state of Wisconsin is expecting this cicada’s cousins, the “periodical cicada,” to show up for their big event in 2024. That cicada is distiguished by its orange and black body and red eyes, compared to the dull green of the annual cicada. I learned that we can expect a very loud show in 2024 when those cicadas are expected to emerge by the millions.
I confess. I’m not looking forward to that show…or gardening with them.