Sort of a pest....lol

My cicadas are apparently emerging now. I saw holes in the ground near the garden yesterday. I thought nothing of it. I had HUGE earthworms at my other house. I would come out at night and watch them in the grass as they searched for each other. I would play with them with a flashlight by spooking them back into their holes. I thought I had earthworms over here, too, but that with the cool spring, they were slow to emerge and mate this year. Nope. This yard is like most. I just don't see the worms like I did at the other house. It was an amazing yard for worms....and moles.

So, it dawned on me today that the holes were my cicadas emerging. The only reason I figured that out was because I looked down on a broccoli leaf, while looking for caterpillars, and found this guy looking at me...



I was shocked! I looked around the garden and found all the evidence I needed of my 13-year cicadas coming, or whichever year they are...

In my tomatoes and cucumbers..


And, in my peas..


Needless to say, they are everywhere today. I haven't heard them yet, but I bet I'm gonna soon. Happy Gardening!

My first reaction was a slow incredulous OMG to be honest. To me they look like they could eat you of house and home but I've never seen a pic of one before so I'm glad you posted it. Well! what can I say except very interesting but very strange.

LOVE the pictures.....hate that you don't have a friendly backyard bird snatching them.

Really, the 3rd pic should be a poster.

Deborah....who is just weird like that (no daughters, only boys and brothers, it has affected my psyche I think)

Here are some more from this morning with my daughter. I am adding thumbs because I don't want to take up the forum's space...

















I went a little more "artsy" with this one....trying to create a sense of motion..



Sorry, I was hoping to get the "click here to enlarge" button, but it isn't showing up. The bigger sizes are on the Flickr account in my sig.

Great pictures. They don't harm your garden do they? I looked them up over a month ago when everyone started talking about them, but now I've forgotten everything I had learned. Oh well, we don't have them over here so I don't need to know ;o)

Your daughter looks she might have a future in entomology with them crawling up her arm and she only has a look of interest in her eyes. Thanks for sharing the pictures!

No, they won't hurt the garden. They mess with the trees, though. The smaller trees of 2" in diameter are most vulnerable. Mature trees aren't fatally injured.

Katelyn was telling me to take pictures of this and that as we walked around. She was trying to see how many she could get to crawl on her. It was quite funny. She kept asking, though, "They don't bite or sting, right?" After a little reassurance, she was right back at messing around with them. In the "shoe" picture, it's her shoe, too.

My little diva would have a heart attack before she would let something like that near her!

Again I reiterate my previous answer. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.

@middlemamma wrote:My little diva would have a heart attack before she would let something like that near her!

Again I reiterate my previous answer. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.

Yep, i have one of those little divas too.... Nothing like a blood curdling scream about a silverfish to adjust your sense of reality... funny part is that she likes to go camping...

@ashort wrote:blood curdling scream about a silverfish

Count me in on the scream!! I lived in Seattle when I was getting my masters. I had a silverfish hiding in my research papers. I had never seen anything like it in my life. I took pictures and did research to make sure I wasn't infested with some kind of alien creature.... Eww.

Ashort...mine loves to camp too....but man if a fly comes near her she goes into hysterics! Yes I said a FLY! She is my princess who will climb a tree in her high heels and princess dress up gown full on with jewel encrusted tiara...but man keep any thing insect like away from her. But worms she will play with...go figure.