Bugs of Lent

Exactly three days before Ash Wednesday, I awoke to a very strange sound. it was a cross between a buzz and a whistle. And it lasted all day. And all night. Finally, I asked Hugo about the sound. He said it was made by bugs. Bugs?! And not just any bugs...chicharras. Bugs that only rear their ugly heads during Lent. Awhile later, I came across an article in the newspaper bout them. I translated it for you to enjoy too!

Time of the Cicadas, Mas! Newspaper, March 27, 2011
With a particular sound that began in March, we realize that the cicadas are in the adult stage. This sound is none other than a song to attract females [it is soooo not an attractive song]. These insects appear in the summer, in the days of intense heat that announce Easter is coming.

Some call them locusts, and some say cicadas.

The body structure of these insects is thick and sturdy [good...we would hate for them to be easily harmed], and has a length of six inches or less [gee...is that all?!]. They have four transparent wings [yuck], crossed by dark veins that form a canopy over the body. They are fastened to the trees with their six legs [more yuck]. They are brown, green, black or gray.
The cicadas, as most people call them, are easily recognized [oh good!] because they have three eyes. People popularly call them the three nails of the Lord, for they appear at the time of Lent. They also have two antennas that help them to capture everything that happens around them.

These insects have a life cycle of long life. They live in a larval state underground and take 17 years [seriously?!] to reach adulthood. "They place the eggs in the trunks of trees. The eggs fall to the ground and that is how they are buried," commented Alberto Fuentes, who for years has seen these bugs in Balboa Park in Renderos Plains. There are hundreds of shells and adult cicadas in the trees [note to self...never go to that park].
After several years of living among the roots, the larva becomes a nymph and leaves the ground, ready to move. And they protect the bark of trees.

A great ordeal if one takes into account that they only live in the adult form about a month.

Holy Week is about to begin and for many, the cicadas will remain a symbol for Lent, death and resurrection of Jesus and for others, a manifestation of the impressive nature with respect to these insects as unique and curious born, grow and die in our country.

***Others, like me, will think of them as a symbol of obnoxiousness. Nothing like the CONSTANT (as in...night and day) whistling sound of these bugs to drive a person absolutely crazy. And...we get to enjoy this blessed sound for another month!