After weeks of anticipation and days of underwhelming emergence, the cicadas are finally popping out in large numbers.
Every few inches, another orange-brown cicada nymph climbed out of the soil and marched toward anything tall: a tree, a weed, a fence or a sign. The teeming mass scaled up, as high as it could go. They cracked their way through skins and stretched their ghost-white wings. Before morning, most of them had turned black and prepared to unleash an unholy sound.
As we mentioned earlier, adventurous eaters are prepared...
The Internet is hopping with recipes for the bugs, everything from serving them as a zesty appetizer to pizza toppings and desserts. The texture has been likened to soft-shelled crabs, the taste ranging from almonds and potatoes to a touch of asparagus.
... but not everyone is so happy.
I get close to the car and there is one sitting, waiting for me to get closer. I stand there in fear knowing he is going to attack.
I get my weapon and starting poking and he is moving closer. Another one comes out underneath the car, I scream. I'm going to be late for my appointment so I flung my weapon of mass destruction and success I killed him.
17 years in making, a spectacle unfolds [Chicago Tribune]
To some, a 17-year delicacy [Chicago Tribune]
Neighborhoods: Tell your cicada story here [Chicago Sun-Times]
Image: Benjamin Gray*
