They're here.............



There are hundreds and hundreds of *shells* under the maple tree and pecan tree -- and they're still emerging. It's the year for the 17-year locust emergence. I can hear them howling in the wooded areas surrounding the nearby crop fields. Sigh. How long does this last? Six weeks sticks in my mind.................

That's about right, MaryAnn . We have *some*, of course, every year, and I think '06 was our "big" year for them, so we have a ways to go before another "Invasion"!

We've got crickets and grasshoppers. Thankfully, no locusts.

crowrita1 said:That's about right, MaryAnn . We have *some*, of course, every year, and I think '06 was our "big" year for them, so we have a ways to go before another "Invasion"!

Arlyn -- I thought the 17-year cycle thing was a national event...............????

We have the 17 year and the 13 year type in Maryland (there are other groups but they are not so big and come around more often)

What Greg said

So Arlyn -- what type do you have there in Illinois this year?

I remember several years back, that the east coast was buried in them -- couldn't walk on the sidewalks without stepping on them. Ugh!!! We didn't have that here, that year..........

So Greg -- are you *on* one of the years this year?

Our annual baby grasshopper invasion has begun a tad early. Blah...

I'm not sue just which "brand" these usually are, Mary Ann ! But I do remember the "invasion" of '06 ( I think it was '06, anyway ), as we spent a lot of time at a local campground that summer, and the place was crawling with them....several Universities had "study groups" of students there, collecting, studying, photographing, etc. It was kinda' neat to see, and to watch the rascals dig themselves out of the ground, and crawl up the tree trunks !

We have cicadas climbing up ever year, but I don't remember ever having an overdose of locust....