Cicadas are coming May20 '07

Yesterday I was able to walk outside in shorts and a t-shirt. The weather was sunny and 75. This morning it's cloudy and 45. On my walk, I had to wear jogging pants and a sweatshirt, and was still chilly.

Chicago weather is very sporadic. One day it's 80, the next it's 40 - no joke.

On my walk I noticed my familiar buzzing friends from last summer - cicadas. They weren't buzzing today, however. In fact, they aren't even out in full-force yet - I only saw a few shells lying around. But that means they are coming out soon. Like within the next week or two.

I imagine the cold weather last night is prohibiting them from fully surfacing. Yesterday's warm weather was perhaps a tease, as many cicadas starting surfacing, only to be frozen on the spot.

Once the soil reaches a certain temperature, they will be coming up in droves.

This summer will be worse than most. It marks the 17th year anniversary of the cicadas climatic season. Every 17 years, cicadas from all walks of life come out and show their stuff. They make their noise, do their mating, and die like soldiers all over the sidewalks and streets.

Heavily shaded areas are affected more, as cicadas use trees to get as high up as possible, and dutifully fall right off.

That being said, May 20 (today) may be one of my last days walking outside. I'm not a huge fan of cicadas - they are loud, ugly, big, and tend to disturb anything walking in their path.

Last summer I wrote about cicadas, but I have a feeling that was only the "tip of the iceberg." This summer will be "all bets off."

I'm looking to October as the next time I can peacefully walk outside. Until then, I have to take advantage of the health club. You'll see me on the treadmill all summer.

Categories: Offbeat , Outdoors , Weather

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matthom is published and produced by Matt Thommes - an independent publishing enthusiast, mobile blogger, content creator, informative writer, web developer from Chicago. Never one to conform, Matt intends to promote the effect the web has on our lives, in an effort to intensify, instruct, and clarify all that is happening around us.