Photo: NPR
For anyone who has not heard the magical sound of cicadas, they can listen to parts of 2011 Odyssey in Space for reference. Yes, that's what that sound was, who most could not identify. That magical sound that holds you spell bound when you hear it. A sound that your brain recognizes and listens for, because it is the most natural and intriguing sound it has ever heard, like a siren song that soothes you.
The diaphanous bugs have the strangest of life cycles. They burrow for nearly two decades, before they come out of the ground and swarm, only to die a few days later and become a feast for all birds and other ground critters.
They usually emerge when the ground temperatures hit 64 degrees Fahrenheit.
This year there is a predicted swarm on the Eastern seaboards, although its precise location is unknown. To help scientists a new initiative is asking locals to report hatching of the insects to better track their nesting sites.
The initiative asks that eager observer construct a sensor, which can be bought for 80$ at Radio Shack and requires some assembly, would indicate the precise moment the ground temperature hit 64. Other similar instruments can be purchased to monitor ground temperatures.
The program's instructions can be found at : http://project.wnyc.org/cicadas/
Source: NPR 4.1.13
No comments:
Post a Comment