bugs
A few weeks ago matt and I were strolling down my street just heading home from a nice dinner in omiya when suddenly a big flying insect came out of no where. It flew towards our ankles while making the spookiest clicking noise. The only sound I could compare it to is the sound of a baseball card smacking against bicycle spokes. It was loud and scary so we both yelped and ran away.
The next day I brought the story up in a ‘voice’ class and my students informed me that it was a cicada. Ok, I don’t know if we have these insects in Canada but they’re bloody loud and the fluttering sound of their wings sends chills down my spine…not the good kind. Their bodies are about the length of my thumb and their wings even longer.
photo taken by Jon Allen
According to my students it takes a cicada about 7 years to fully bloom from a larvae to a winged terror and then they only live for about 7 days. Hearing this gave me a new found interest in these noisy bugs. The deafening sound I hear as I walk through the park is being created by beasties that were conceived up to 7 years ago!
I had the pleasure of seeing another insect last week called a praying matis. It was gracefully standing on the station platform as I stepped off the train. This particular mantis was a brownish colour in preparation for fall. I watched its tiny head turn from side to side as commuters shuffled about. Watching this insect brought some kind of inexplicable inner calm, it was really beautiful.
photo taken by Andrzej Urbaniec
Here’s another huge butterfly/moth that was sitting outside of shelley and lola’s flat a couple of weeks ago. Sorry about the blurriness, blame it on the chu hi.
In other news, it’s official, Matt and I are heading south for the winter. We’re going to go live in Okinawa for a little while (see Karate Kid II). Our departure date is September 28th and our first day at work is on October 1st. We’re heading to a tropical island with crystal blue water and white sandy beaches. The average temperature in winter is about 20-25 degrees. Unfortunately there are a few problems like huge cockroaches, poisonous snakes, cicadas all year ‘round, typhoons and get this, it’s one of the most haunted places in the world.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=140&article=32897&archive=true
Oh well, if all of this is true, I guess I may be home sooner than you think
x d
Listening to Hot Chip's The Warning
posted by Delphine Roussel @ 9:39 PM
5 Comments:
That cicada is gross! I'm pretty sure we have them here, but we rarely see them. They make that loud buzzing sound in the summer when it gets really hot.
I snapped a photo of a praying mantis that was perched on our window screen the other day - weird. I hardly ever see those things - they are lovely though.
Okinawa?! The Okinawans have the best health of any group of people on the planet, don't they? You'll come back a super-human!
cicadas are quite fascinating but yes i do agree that they aren't the prettiest flying bugs in the insect kingdom.
some people enjoy trainspotting, others enjoy bird watching and then there's cicada watching...
www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/
yes indeed, okinawans have earned themselves quite the reputation with their extended lives. i plan to regain some of the rock n roll beer enhanced moments i've lost ;)
good to hear from you krissy!
x
d
I can't believe you don't remember these. We had tons of cicadas (or imago|imagines if you prefer) in Ladner - we called them junebugs.
if we had cicadas in ladner they were a different kind and much much smaller! trust me, these things are nothing like a june bug.
i've been listening to Peter Cetera's Glory of Love from the Karate Kid 2 soundtrack in honour of you and Matt, and your journey to the tropics! woo!
love Jenny
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