Here they come again...

Bug Eyed Homoptera critter

I think.

According to the leading bugologists we will be seeing (and listening to the lovely music) of the 17 year cicadas again this spring and summer.

In case you've forgotten,  Cicadas are members of the order Homoptera and are bugs with stout bodies, broad heads, clear-membrane wings, and large compound eyes.

On second thought, I don't believe anyone has ever forgotten how annoying those swarms of  LOUD obnoxious critters truly are.

The Smithsonian magazine reports:

"It’s been 17 years since the cicadas of Brood II swarmed the northeastern United States. A mass of winged creatures, red eyes glowing, the cicadas “are expected to emerge and overwhelm a large swath of land from Virginia to Connecticut — climbing up trees, flying in swarms and blanketing grassy areas so they crunch underfoot,”  Across the United States, different broods of cicadas emerge after long withdrawls underground, some on 13-year cycles, some, like Brood II, on 17-year cycles. Cicadas live in the ground, near trees. They feed off the roots of trees. And they only come out for a few weeks, during which time they will molt and then mate."

So, the good news is those of you who live in North Carolina (and further South) may not get them this year. Or, you may get some of both kind. (Ain't exact science wonderful!)

However, eventually they'll find you.

Many people around the world have decided that if you can't "beat 'em, eat 'em."
They were considered a delicacy in ancient Greece as well as China, Malaysia, Burma, Latin America, and the Congo.  Their shells are employed in the traditinal medicines of China.

Bon Appetite !

Soft Shelled Cicadas

1 cup Worcestershire sauce

30 freshly emerged 17-year cicadas
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups flour
Salt and pepper to season the flour,
1/2 cup corn oil or slightly salted butter.

 -Ed