No Wonder They're So Noisy

by KYW's Phran Novelli

You hear them every night this time of year –that repetitive background buzz of the cicadas … then in the morning you find their shells – like empty insects hanging on trees or fences. But if you go out at night, you can actually see them emerging from those nymph skins, and watch them slowly spread their wings and hold them out to dry.

They're called dog-day cicadas and we happened to catch their performance when we took our doggies out for a walk late one night. Around midnight, we spotted one crawling out of its shell –its wings just two lime green nubs at that point. Over the course of a half an hour or so, its wings slowly flexed and unfurled – it was almost imperceptible but as the minutes passed, the wings got longer and longer.

You can see a photo of a cicada spreading its wings right here – or go out in your yard one night this week and you might just see one for yourself.

(Photo by Phran Novelli)