Cicadas Begin Their ‘Unearthly Singing’ In Late June, Early July

In late June or early July, the cicadas add their unearthly singing to our open air concert.

In the early evenings, their eerie songs ripple and swell with every breeze.

Our cicadas are a yearly happening, and during the summer and fall we enjoy their music.

Cicadas range from Arizona to the Atlantic coast, throughout the southwest arid the south, but in the spring of 1998, our neighbors in a small town in eastern Oklahoma were witnesses to a mysterious and miraculous occurrence. I'll explain.

Cicadas belong to three species defined by their biological cycles: one-year cicadas, 13-year cicadas, and 17-year cicadas.

After mating, the female cicada lays her eggs in a slit she has made in the branch of a tree. After an egg hatches, the larva drops to the ground, burrows into the soil and attaches itself to the roots of the tree. There it takes sustenance and lives in darkness for as long as 17 years before it matures and must leave its home and find a mate.

Once in 248 years, the 13-year cicadas and the 17-year cicadas emerge on the same day in the same year.

Most recently, the magic number was 1998.

On a warm morning in late spring, this phenomenon occurred. Thirteen-year cicadas and 17-year cicadas swarmed in the same loca- tion in Oklahoma. In a hayfield surrounded by trees, they began to erupt from the soil, thousands of them.

First came the males, iridescent brown with long slender wings folded over their bodies; they basked in the sun until their wings were dry. They began to fly, circling the field, each group seeking out its special tree. Their wings whirred a standing ovation for the sun. In the branches, they formed themselves into male choruses. Then they began to sing the sad, sweet, haunting song of courtship — sad because only certain males will be chosen; the others will die.

The females are drawn into the trees by the singing. A female will light upon a branch and begin to move over a group of males listening for a certain voice. The most successful males are those with the lowest voices. No tenors need apply.

She struggles through the seething mass until she finds him, and they mate.

Over a period of days she lays her eggs, the larvae hatch, fall to the ground, burrow to the roots and begin their subterranean existence. For some it will be 17 years before they see the sun again.

Sitting on the front porch during the summer evenings, I listen to the cicadas and ponder the mysteries of their life cycle. Naturally, that leads me to thinking about other mysteries as well. As human beings we love the sun. The sun is the source of light and heat and a symbol of life itself. We love to see the sun. Do you remember going to a double feature at the movies and coming out into the blinding sunlight, so dazzled by it that your eyes hurt, but you were glad to see it anyway?

After a long rainy spell, we rejoice in the sunlight.

I enjoy exploring caves; they are such dark, mystically beautiful places, but when I emerge, I appreciate the sun even more.

On explanation for our valuing gold so highly is that gold is the color of the sun. Most people associate the color yellow with warmth and happiness.

Tom Stoppard said, “Red, blue and green are colors, but yellow is an emotion and must be experienced.”

Enjoy the summer. Pray for rain, but cherish the sun.

And that's the view from Antioch Mountain.