I think they like it here

  Last year was the first time that I had ever seen one.  Without the positive identity from my cousin, Fred, I would have never known that this was even a different species than what is normally found around here.  Beameria venosa....or teeny, tiny cicada is the critter in question and come to find out, it is something that few folks see. We are accustomed to seeing the rather large cicadas.  The type we have on the Bayou can reach to nigh on three inches in length but this little guy is no where near that size.  It is not much bigger than the head of a nail!

  Now that I have seen one of the critters, I cannot seem to escape from them!  The little guys seem to love the greenhouse and during the summer months can often be seen clinging to the boards.  After they molt, their little cast off skins stay stuck to the boards like some weird Halloween decorations.  That cast off skin actually has a name.  Exuvia is hard to spell and even harder for me to pronounce so I will just keep calling them cicada sheds.  Lots easier.

  The little cicadas, along with the huge ones, have been crawling out from underground for the past few weeks.  The critters crawl to a vertical place to molt, then hang there for hours as their bodies harden. Once that is complete, they take flight to the nearest tree and at nightfall, start their buzzing songs.  Add their nightly din to the cacaphony that rises from the Frog Pond and it can be quite deafening on the Bayou.  I sure would not trade my open windows for all of the fancy, sealed up houses of other folks.  It would sadden me to be unable to hear my critter friends as they fill the air with their songs.  Mother Nature is beautiful!