Fern Michonski / Fern’s Music
Pre-School Music Education Expert: The Children’s Advocate for Love and Kindness, Inspiring Creativity and Joy.
June 5, 2013—The Cicadas Are Coming! 
We’ve heard about it on the television and the radio and we’ve read it in the news—the cicadas are coming! Quite frankly, I am intrigued. I grew up in the Berkshires of Massachusetts and don’t recall ever seeing any cicadas. According to the experts, cicadas live over a large territory ranging from Georgia to Connecticut. That explains why I never saw any up in Massachusetts, but now I live in Connecticut, so I am expecting great things! These bugs, Magicicada Brood II, crawl out from under the ground once every 17 years to crawl, fly, mate and die over a very short period of only a few weeks. Apparently they don’t come out until the ground temperature reaches a specific level. They sound like very particular bugs to me.
Next I started hearing that some folks eat them, calling them “land shrimp.” Really? I look at it this way, these poor cicada bugs only get to come out and party once every 17 years. I don’t think we should ruin their fun by eating them. They’ve waited a long time for this big event. On top of that I understand these little creatures are not all that attractive. They have black bodies and big, bulging red eyes and orange wing veins, with a black “W” near the tips of the forewings. I cannot see myself munching down on these guys. No thanks.
My ears picked up when I heard that their cicada song can get up to 90 decibels—as loud as a rock band. I find this amazing. So let’s get this information straight. These nymphs come out of the ground first and shed their hard shells. Then they unfurl their wings, crawl up trees, or anything else for that matter, and look for mates. They find them by performing a cicada song that will rival any rock band. When the mating is done, females lay eggs in trees. Then the adults die. The eggs hatch in late summer and the nymphs go back into the ground for another 17 year cycle. That sounds like a pretty small period of time to party in the summer sun! According to Dr. Kirby Stafford, “It’s a unique, 17-year biological phenomenon. I would certainly agree with that.
Listening to all of this hubbub and excitement got me thinking. These cicada bugs sound pretty awesome to me. As I sat out on my porch eating my lunch, (a normal salad minus any bugs), a melody came into my head. It hit me. These cicadas deserve a song. “The Cicadas Are Coming”—indeed they are. Get ready for the fun!!
Here’s the link to the YouTube video of the song: http://youtu.be/k4Q5Z_PLLH4
The Cicadas Are Coming!
The Cicadas are coming
They’re crawling from the ground.
They’re poking out their little heads
And looking all around.
Hundreds—Thousands—
Maybe Billions too—
Doing the Cicada Dance
And shakin’ boody too!
Big bulging eyes—looking for some love—
Spreading out their little wings—flying up above.
Landing on the trees—on the grass on the lawn—
Hoping for a date—‘cause they just want to spawn!
I step outside—and then I hear a crunch,
I look at my feet—see cicadas by the bunch!
Then before I know it—there’s cicadas in my hair,
Crawling up my arms and creeping everywhere!
(REFRAIN)
Swatting and Running—I grab my mp3,
I need to hear some music—need to get myself free!
Jogging down the road—I hear a loud noise,
I just can’t believe it—it’s those Cicada Boys!
They’re swinging and they’re rocking—they’re buzzing all around.
It’s the Cicada Band that’s making such a sound.
They just won’t stop—they’re singing night and day—
I sure can’t wait for them to go away!
(REFRAIN)
© Fern Carver Michonski 2013
Special Thanks to Laura Chabrow for the Cicada Picture!