Dog-day Cicadas

Resurrecting the Resurrection

~ lmachayes ~ 6 Comments

This afternoon I met a young girl, probably about seven years old, who patiently waited as her mother ran some laps on a local trail and because I’d just started to notice the exoskeletons of Dog-day Cicadas, one of my favorite summer insects (besides dragonflies, mind you), I started to point them out.


At first look, she stepped way back, and told me they were too scary. They are. But then I picked one off the fence and she was intrigued but still apprehensive. I explained the life cycle and that this was no longer a living specimen and then I placed it on the ground and told her if she wanted to pick it up or show her mom, I’d leave it for her.

She did show her mom and then she caught up with me again and one by one, started to point out all the specimens along the route.

Eventually the mom joined us and said she’d only heard and seen the Seventeen-year Cicadas and did not know that we have Cicadas in Maine.

They decided they’d go home and look them up and see if they could watch a video of the adults emerging.

And then . . . my little friend found one.

I told her it would take about three hours for the process to be completed. She thought maybe her dad and sister would like to come back to see them, but was sure her sister would be frightened.

Whether they did or not, I’ll never know as I’ll never know her name for we didn’t exchange such. I was just thrilled the she had the chance to see such a miracle, one of the many wonders of the world, take place and that she had spied it before I did.

A few steps later and her mom spotted one that had fully emerged, but wasn’t yet ready to fly to the tree tops to sing its raspy love song.

When we departed I thanked them both for sharing the experience with me and I have a feeling that young girl will be looking in the future. She did tell me that she likes dragonflies and butterflies and grasshoppers, but not other insects. I suspect Dog-Day Cicadas may have been added to her list on the drive home.

And now, because I can, I share with you once again my tribute to these amazing insects. The cemetery referenced is in Lovell, Maine. 

Resurrection
By Leigh Macmillen Hayes, 7/19/2020

To walk into a cemetery on a summer day
And find an insect metamorphosing upon a stone
I begin to understand the process of resurrection.

A life well spent questing sap for sustenance
Prepares to crawl free of its past
And reach for heavenly aspirations.

Through a tiny slit, a spirit no longer contained
Emerges head first as a teneral shape develops
with bulging eyes to view a new world.

Gradually, a pale tourmaline-colored body extends outward
With stained-glass wings unfurling
That provide baby steps toward freedom beyond.

I mourn the loss of your former soul
But give thanks for a peek at your upcoming ascension
From this place to the next.

It is not for me to know when you will first use the gift of flight
As I didn’t know when you would shed your old skin,
And I quickly offer a final goodbye when I see your wings spread.

I rejoice that I’ll spend the rest of the summer
Listening to your raspy love songs
Playing nature’s lullabies upon violin strings from above.

On this day, I celebrate the secrets of a cicada’s life,
Dying to the old ways and rising to new,
While I wander among the graves of others who have done the same.

And here’s today’s tribute, which still needs some tweaking, but that’s the beauty of working with gouache paints. I can easily make changes when the mood strikes.

Thanks for stopping by as I resurrected the Resurrection.

Lake Living & Maine Natural History Observatory

~ lmachayes

Two. Two publications this week. I’m always excited when the first appears on a local store shelf, but to have a featured article in the second as well (for the third time) is equally thrilling. Also scary. Why? Cuze once you put yourself out there you are out there and there are others out there just waiting to let you know how you erred. And if you know me, I err a lot. But it’s actually a good thing because it’s a humbling reminder that I’m not perfect. Thank goodness. That said, you don’t need to remind me–just sayin’.

So, take a gander and I hope you enjoy the reads. My two articles for Lake Living magazine are the first two in this issue.

The first is about the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad Museum that six young men are working to develop in Bridgton to commemorate the Narrow Gauge Railroad. I won’t give away any more of the story, but my hats go off to these guys and their passion and all of their efforts to make a dream come true.

My second article is about TimberNook Western Maine, a program set up to encourage kids to get outside and play. For hours. With varied age groups. Sometimes during school hours. Because play, and especially deep play, which it takes a bit of time to enter, are a critical part of growing up and interacting with others and the natural world. I have to say that before I sat in on a couple of sessions, I wasn’t so sure about this program–I mean, I’ve spent the last however many years playing with kids in nature, but teaching them about nature along the way, and this program is set up to let kids learn without too much adult intervention. And after watching the action and talking with kids and adults, I am now a huge fan of TimberNook and hope to sit in on more sessions, maybe as a volunteer.

There’s so much more in the magazine ranging from an article by Perri Black about birth and death; another by Laurie LaMountain about dock lights invented by the guys at Great Northern Docks; plus an appreciation of laundry by Suzanne Richards; book reviews from our friends at Bridgton Books; and some summer recipes by Perri. And the list of things to do and places to go–locally, of course.

It’s all right here, just a click away: https://www.lakelivingmaine.com/

Switching gears, I submitted an article about Dog-day Cicadas to the Maine Natural History Observer and was tickled to have it accepted.

According to their website: Maine Natural History Observatory’s mission is to improve the understanding of natural resources in Maine by compiling historic information and implementing inventory and monitoring efforts of Maine’s natural history.

The Observatory specializes in collecting, interpreting, and maintaining datasets crucial for understanding changes in Maine’s plant and wildlife populations. We are committed to filling data gaps for Maine’s least understood species and creating a legacy of data for use in nature conservation, land use policy decisions, and expanding scientific knowledge.

Specifically, our mission is to:

  • Compile and publish summaries of Maine’s natural history
  • Coordinate local and regional inventory and monitoring efforts of Maine’s flora, fauna, and habitats
  • Facilitate cooperation and exchange of information among organizations, agencies, and individuals conducting natural history research in Maine or caring for natural history collections
  • Engage in other activities related to the advancement of scientific knowledge and education of the public regarding the flora, fauna, and habitats of Maine.

As some of you know, one of my favorite summer activities is to watch Dog-day Cicadas emerge from their underground life and watch as they shed old skin for new before flying up into tree tops to sing love songs. I know of a couple of local cemeteries where I can usually watch the action and it’s even better when I can introduce someone else to the experience. But, not everyone can join me so in this article, I hope it feels like you are along for the journey.

It looks something like this:

You can read the entire article and a variety of others by clicking on the link: Maine Natural History Observer

Lots of cool stuff to read about. And if you do live locally, Lake Living is on a store shelf near you–up and down the Rte 302 corridor, plus north to Norway and Bethel, and south to at least Cornish.

Grab a copy and don’t forget to support our advertisers. They are the ones who pay so that you can pick up a free copy of the magazine. There’s one advertiser in particular that is close to my heart and I’d love to have you support. ;-)