gunny23

Amazingly quiet tonight after an otherwise deafening day...

Beautiful night out

Some of my more shaded trees are getting bombarded tonight w nymphs just crawling up.  My more shaded big trees in the back still relatively little action.  It's getting loud though so can't imagine once they are all out in my woods.

My one infiltrated tree isn't so lonely anymore.  As soon as we open our garage door you can hear the creeping and crawling.  They definitely love the garage door.  I'm guessing soil is warmer around house foundation?  We literally had to sweep exoskeletons out of the way and they have bombarded our garage.

Our shaded trees/woods still don't have a lot but they are starting to pop.  Really looking forward to the next few nights!

1 hour ago, Harv_poor said:

Just came in from a walk with my grand daughter.  In parts of our neighborhood, could definitely hear the cicada hum.  Also our driveway by the garage door looked like a cicada army died trying to invade our garage

Our garage door too!  They are covering it and a bunch of exoskeletons/carcasses everywhere at the base of the door.  More than the trees

My husband just went out to take pics of the trees and report since I am out of town.  Said he can't even walk on the grass now.  They are everywhere...wish I could upload the video.  

This is only for the front yard that gets sun, back yard with all of the trees still shaded and not as bad.   Hoping they hold off a few more days.

They all need to hold off for a few more days - I am out of town again and am pissed I am going to miss the mass emergence!

7 minutes ago, IUsedToHateCold said:

Any house with an older tree in my neighborhood has them. Unless it’s a pine tree, they don’t seem to like those 

I have lots of older trees in my yard, mostly shaded.  The one that gets the most sun is really starting to pop. I'm just starting to see a few on my other trees.

Was just out on my evening cicada hunt under my most "active" tree.  Sounded like super light rain drops under that tree.  I totally forgot about cicada pee!

Now I am wondering if I should share with the neighborhood Mom chat.  They are NOT as enthusiastic as I am about these guys.   To tell them they are being peed on might well send them over the edge.

But would be so damn funny!

1 hour ago, mattie g said:

Headed to the house around the corner with one of the biggest hatches going on so far. It’s super impressive. The lawn was nearly covered in nymphs, adults, and shells in some spots and the huge maple tree on the front lawn was loaded with all three, as well.

I really want to see that on all the trees around here. Bring me the sounds of an alien spaceship!

We only have one tree in the neighborhood where they are starting to pile up (ours).  Found out walking the dog tonight that some of my neighbors who don't think I am crazy have been coming by with their flashlight to check it out.  Lol

On another note, several years ago several of us went in on an industrial mosquito sprayer and spray between households.  The intention was that we would just grab it from a garage and spray as needed but honestly one dude has been spraying the whole "co-ops'" yards.  Tonight he was coming to do ours for the first time but I told to him to hold off.  As much as I hate mosquitos, I have to give these Cicadas a chance for a little bit of fun before they die!

34 minutes ago, SnowenOutThere said:

I dont know about you guys but getting some pretty good rates even this close to the back edge.

I go out every night with my flashlight and search the yard.  My 12 year old daughter (who I make come with me) is so over cicadas already and my neighbors think I am nuts.

Ask me if I care 

I sadly noticed some also on the one tree where most of them have been so far and one new one on our poplar.    Sad that they made it this far but couldn't finish.  Pretty sure we still have enough.

My one tree that had about 6 exoskeletons this morning now has over 50 cicadas in various stages of molting.  My yard is going to be rocking next week.  I live in an old wooded neighborhood...I can't wait

Was out with a flashlight a little while ago.  I did see some new ones crawling in the tree that I saw some earlier today.  This tree and ground around it gets the most sunlight so not surprised I don't have any in the woods/side yard yet.

What I saw gazillions of in my flashlight beam was pollen grains. 

Wow...it's really bad out there.

Just checked my yard - had about 6 exoskeletons on one tree - rest of the trees were bare.  Sterling, VA

My trusted meat thermometer was measuring an average of 65 in my yard in Eastern Loudoun....should be soon!

16 hours ago, WxUSAF said:

Official CWG bug cast is out. Expect to be rockin and rollin in 2 weeks.

I don't get home until Sunday night so this is good news for me.  I don't want miss any of it!

Side note...for anyone who has the Galapagos on their bucket list, now is a great time to visit.  Last minute rates are SUPER low and the islands are empty.  Not to mention this place is AMAZING!  Come June the water will start to get colder and choppier until December...and tourism is starting to pick up but still only 1/2 of the boats are in the water 

1 hour ago, vastateofmind said:

Literallly LOL'ed at that....if only because I've considered doing just that, but also didn't want to use my nice, new, shiny, only-use-for-grilling-and-not-ground-temps meat thermometer!   

My husband would be pissed if he knew I used his new quick read thermometer for smoking...  I gave it a good cleaning haha

23 minutes ago, wxtrix said:

it was May back in 2004 because i met my husband in mid-May 2004 and they had just emerged en masse.

Yes...you are correct 

I also don't think they are coming anytime soon.  Needs to be 80 for a few days for the soil to warm up to 64 and it's been a cold spring imho.  I stuck a meat thermometer in a few places in my yard (don't tell my husband) and we are only up to 55 at most.  I think the few coming now are just the advance team.

I have definitely noticed more digging under one group of large trees.  I think some critters know they are close and are starting to feast. 

13 hours ago, BlizzardNole said:

Ha that was funny H2O!  It will be interesting how it goes in our neighborhood.  In 2004, the large development was relatively new with the houses built between 1994 and 1998.  Most trees were pretty small, but there are woods on the edges and MAN it was loud coming from there.  Now 17 years later we are getting a canopy.  We'll see how many laid eggs on those smaller trees back then.

On another note -- anyone get those annoying annual cicadas each year?  The past couple of summers just a few of those darn things have made it unpleasant to sit on the deck.  Damn things screech all day.

 I love the annuals...crack my window just enough in summer to listen to them at night.  I guess it is perception.   I love the sounds of nature after years in the city as a "young adult".  City sounds were  fun at the time but I will take cicadas any day now that I am old!

Not a fan of crickets though...can't stand crickets.

In 2004 I had bought my first townhouse in a development built in 1992.  There was buzzing for sure but not terrible.  Now I live a few miles away  in a heavily wooded neighborhood built in 1983.  The trees/wooded area that edge my lawn are over 60 feet tall and have been around for a LONG time.   My neighbors who are original owners and have lived through 2 cycles now tell me the noise will be deafening and I should be careful what I wish for.

I say "Bring It!"

I love cicadas...maybe more than snow and weather.   I've been waiting since 2004 for them to come back.  Because if Covid we had to postpone our trip last summer to the Galapagos until this spring.  My husband wanted to push it off as long as possible and not go until May or June but I needed to be back in time for the emergence so we leave in 10 days.  Back May 2 so we shouldn't miss any!  He thinks I'm nuts for choosing cicadas over Galapagos...lol

 Dug one up while weeding a couple of weeks ago and saw some holes while mulching today but no exoskeletons on the trees.  They either went back in or were gobbled up.

I live in a wooded older neighborhood.  It was loud when some emerged early 3 years ago.  I can't imagine what this year will be like.

2 hours ago, Bob Chill said:

Def wait at least until tomorrow eve if possible but if I were in your shoes I'd grab a wed flight if we're still looking at the same thing the euro/gfs are spitting out. Even if snow fails, if it's still looking like rain with temps in the 20s @ IAD thurs the risk of sig delays and/or cancellations is pretty high. The is the first one of these waves to hit with temps being below freezing for 24+ hours straight before it starts

Thanks Bob 

P.s.....good to have you back!  I don't post much but have enjoyed your posts for years.

IMBY ?....I'm scheduled to leave ATL at 2 on Thurs, land at IAD at 4.  Chances I will get in?  It's a small regional jet which I know are the first to get cancelled.  

Normally wouldn't matter but we are heading out to Timberline noonish on Friday so I need to get home.  Thinking about grabbing a late flight on Weds...

8 minutes ago, WVclimo said:

I live 3 miles west of 81 in a rural area, surrounded by farms and orchards.  When we moved here from Suburban Md. in 2006 there weren’t many amenities nearby.  In the past several years though, a great deal of development has taken place a few miles to our south in an area called Spring Mills (off I-81 Exit 20.)  I would definitely check it out.  

Three new schools were built there, including Spring Mills HS, which is a great school.  I would rank it at the top for schools in Berkeley County.  Our daughter graduates from there this Spring.  A great many new single-family homes and townhouses are being built there also, along with two medical facilities that recently opened, and with so much retail now nearby it has really blossomed into a nice community.

If you have questions during your search, please feel free to reach out to me via PM.  (My name is Craig.) 

Good luck !

 

I just might do that and that is good info on the school.  We pulled our daughter from LCPS because they are a disaster and my husband has been homeschooling but at some point we expect her to go back to public school.  I was a bit worried about some of the schools so this is welcome news.  We are definitely looking for more land - 3 - 5 acres but we also don't want to isolate our daughter who is an only child.    

I will check out Spring Mills - thanks!  

@WVclimo - I live in Loudoun but we have decided to move to WV this spring - panhandle out as far NW as probably Falling Waters.  I don't think we would go much past 81.  We also have a 6th grader.  Tips on communities out your way?  We haven't spent a lot of time out there and just starting our research.  We would have left NOVA earlier if it wasn't for the commute but the one good thing about Covid is it opened up teleworking.  So we are out of here...

Appreciate any tips/thoughts

33 minutes ago, Snowman. said:

Huge flake size a couple miles north of Sterling. Hearing sleet now.

I'm in Countryside - all sleet here now