Cicadas

This little fellow is about 3 inches long

(get out a ruler and look at 3 inches...it' huge)

and is called a cicada.

All through the long humid months of summer here in Nebraska

we listen to the mating songs of these guys, I say guys because

that's who we are actually listening to since the females are quiet.

They live for years (2-7) underground as nymphs feeding on root juices

and then tunnel upward where they molt one last time

and emerge as adults.

And then they sing....at the top of their lungs...

(that is not really how they do it),

for the entire summer. Sometimes it is so loud

one can hardly hear oneself think!

But we also get fireflies and we love those.