Each year cicadas emerge from their underground nurseries to fill the air with their chirping and buzzing. To some they are a nuisance but to this entomologist they are a sign of hope…
The delightfully-named “periodical cicadas” come out of their burrows, as the name suggest, at regular intervals. This year the emergence of two of these kinds of insects has matched up; the 13 year and the 17 year broods have appeared together. It might seem like this might be a recipe for extreme noise levels but here is why that is probably not the case.
Although cicadas are not considered pests by science, some people are bothered by them and they get a bad rap. This scientist decided to do something about that and three years ago penned a song, translating the insects’ serenade.
You can read an interview with Sammy Ramsey, the singing entomologist in question, on the New York Times here. In it he explains why we should love the insects and why they bring hope.
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