Dog day afternoons are upon us

In case you forgot that it’s summer in New England, the cicadas are here to remind you with their buzzsaw mating calls.

When I was growing up, we called them heat bugs. Others call them harvest flies or dog day harvest flies in reference to the time of year when you hear them. There are some 170 species in the United States and Canada.

Over the last couple weeks, I’ve received two photos of cicadas molting, one from a friend in Ipswich and one from Wicked Local Newsbank Editor Gerry Tuoti. I thought I would share them with you in case you see something similar while working in your yard.

The females lay their eggs in bark or in grass, and when the larvae hatch, they go underground, where they feed on roots. When ready to become adults, the larvae come up and molt, meaning they shed their exoskeletons and emerge as adults with wings. They’re often light colored when they emerge and turn darker as their new exoskeletons harden.

What’s really cool is that the molting process takes time, so you have a chance to see it happen. And, the cicadas don’t just fly right off when they emerge, so you can see the adults right next to their “sheds” or “exuviae," the exoskeletons they leave behind.

While cicadas are kind of big as New England insects go, maybe the size of one section of your forefinger, they aren’t harmful. Keep your eyes peeled while mowing the lawn.