August 18th, 2006
the dog days of summer
We’re into what I think of as the dog days of summer. Yesterday the skies were clear and the weather was hot. Today, it’s a little overcast, but supposed to go to 30C (about 86F). We probably won’t have much more of this kind of weather before the arrival of the cooler days of autumn.
This morning, I’ve already heard the first buzz-saw drone of a cicada coming from the garden — in fact, I hear one buzzing as I write these very words. With the end of the hot weather, the season of the cicadas will come to a close, so this may be their last hurrah.
In our region, it’s the Dogday Harvestfly (Tibicen canicularis) cicada that calls from the treetops on hot summer days. Unlike the periodical cicadas that emerge in droves after long periods of absence, the Dogday Harvestfly appears annually.
In their nymph state, cicadas live underground feeding on tree roots. After three years, they climb up a tree and the adult cicada emerges — leaving its rather bizarre-looking exoskeleton behind. I found this one a couple of days ago while walking through the woods here at the farm (click on all images for larger view — and by the way, you might notice another insect on the branch beneath the exuviae — I didn’t see it until I was editing this photo).
Although I regularly find exuviae, I’ve only had a few chances to photograph Dogday Harvestflies. That’s largely because they spend so much time in treetops high above the ground — not a place that I’m willing to go to shoot photos. However, once in awhile, I’ve managed to zero in on the call of a cicada that is near ground level – as in the case of the individual in the top photo and the two below. I found it on an evening primrose in the garden. They’re big insects — probably about 3 inches long if you include the wings. As you can see, they are wonderfully marked with green.
A friend who regularly reads this blog likes it when I post various views of creatures, so I’m including the following side and top views for his and your pleasure. Now, speaking of cicadas, I hear one calling again and must get outdoors to enjoy one of these last warm days of summer.
