Knock knock. Who’s there? Cicada.

[just.wing.it]

I'm getting a kick out of all the headlines from "the media" telling us all to eat the cicadas.
As if gas lines in the east and rolling black outs in the west weren't already prepping us for our man made dystopian future. We had a good run yall....

 

[rorror]

View from the forrest a few days ago:

 

[MrFancyPlants]

I didn’t think to snap a photo of the particularly laden trees, but check out my gate. I know it needs replacing.

 

[rorror]

@MrFancyPlants

With those numbers of Cicada around your house. Protect your tree's and shrubs.
Also check your big tree's at the end of the summer, and remove dead branches before a storm nocks them onto your house or car.

WOUld be interesting to see whether the shrubs and trees do better this year than in other years, with such a reduction in root munching capacity. Bumper crops? Or evened out by the damage the egg laying does.

I am interrested too, if thats is the case.

 

[leatherback]

my gate. I know it needs replacing

Wow, did not expect cicadas to do that much damage to a gate! Must be a flood of them!

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Keep waiting...those two fence sections are like 10k right now, lol!

 

[penumbra]

I guess it is better to anticipate damage than to completely ignore it, but I am in a stage of just observing.
What I think it is really interesting is the lack of true knowledge and misunderstanding about something that has been going on basically forever.
I remember the last two episodes of the 17 year cicada very well.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Keep waiting...those two fence sections are like 10k right now, lol!

 

[Forsoothe!]

I guess it is better to anticipate damage than to completely ignore it, but I am in a stage of just observing.
What I think it is really interesting is the lack of true knowledge and misunderstanding about something that has been going on basically forever.
I remember the last two episodes of the 17 year cicada very well.

So, what's the rest of the story?

 

[misfit11]

I'm getting a kick out of all the headlines from "the media" telling us all to eat the cicadas.
As if gas lines in the east and rolling black outs in the west weren't already prepping us for our man made dystopian future. We had a good run yall....

Go get some trash bags and start stock piling gasoline now!

 

[penumbra]

So, what's the rest of the story?

When it rains, it's not all about you. (or me)

 

[just.wing.it]

Go get some trash bags and start stock piling gasoline now!

I saw some of those videos.....insane. The fact that people who are dumb enough to attempt to transport gasoline in a plastic bag even exist in America today is a true testament to the failure of all forms of education in the country.....from the home to the grad schools....failures, them all.
So sad.

 

[penumbra]

I saw some of those videos.....insane. The fact that people who are dumb enough to attempt to transport gasoline in a plastic bag even exist in America today is a true testament to the failure of all forms of education in the country.....from the home to the grad schools....failures, them all.
So sad.

Regardless of the failures of the education system, it is a testament to the death of common sense. This is truly frightening.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

When it rains, it's not all about you. (or me)

Did you have bonsai the last time they came around? It rained here this morning and it seems to have knocked them down a bit. I am hoping the bulk of the emergence is done by now.

 

[penumbra]

Did you have bonsai the last time they came around? It rained here this morning and it seems to have knocked them down a bit. I am hoping the bulk of the emergence is done by now.

The last two times I did have bonsai. Last time, 17 years ago, a had many. Though I found a few abandoned molted carapaces on some of them, I only had very minor damage and only on the plants that I had in the ground. This year all my ground plants are running free until the cicadas are done and then I will prune them. Mine are running behind yours by at least a week. The are coming out in force as we speak. After today's rain there will be the bulk of their emergence.
At least these creatures are predictable to some degree, unlike the birds, squirrels, deer, raccoons, possums, and bears that frequent my yard.
I don't take it personally. If I am going to let out a string of expletives, it will be over something I have done.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Here are a couple other shots from my back yard:

 

[penumbra]

That's what I remember from Fairfax County many years ago, (51 years at 7 Corners). I remember back then route 7 was slippery with them. There are actually far fewer today than we used to have.
We don't have that kind of density here, plus we have a lot more cicada predators.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Cicada be repotting trees in the summer?