WHITE CRICKET - (POST # 15)
Still ashore at the old land-home, with no furniture or draperies it is like a echo cave, empty and with all hard surfaced floors to boot, 2AM this morning, I am awakened by a very loud high-pitched alarm wail, ear piercing to almost pain (at least to my decible/pitch range) . . . it is constant, and pervasive.
Fearful, I jump out of bed and follow the source to the utility room (all the while trying to imagine a possible cause or device that could emit such a blast of sound), in the dark, and expecting anything... I am almost brought to cross-eyed pain when at ear height I find it.
A 2mm long tan lacewing on the inside back door glass.
He will not shut off ! turn the light on, almost touch him, no change-just debilitating noise. I open the door cup my hands around him and escort him outside (to "his" world, and "out" of mine), whew !
Online I learn the bugologists and scientific world is filled with idiots (there are no online recordings, accurate information, or true knowledge about lacewings in general) most of these people have read "someone elses" information on them, but has never seen one.
These pseudo-scientist types refer to these guys by their latin names (yea, I was really impressed too), but, then they compare this little guy to cicadas, jarflys, crickets, and seven toed Canadian Moose.
So, here is "my" story on lacewings:
These little guys look like a cross between a winged Termite, a Canadian Soldier (Mayfly), and a Katydid . . . only with a much smaller body, and out-of-proportion oversized see-through wings, I have seen them in light green or tan colors, a inch long is the biggest I have ever seen. BUT . . . i never knew they made noise ! (and neither do the bug-experts).
We always blame frogs for that nighttime din, but, I was just educated that for 73 years I was wrong, it is a combo of creatures that make Oregon nights so loud.
But on to the best part of this, the folklore.
Last nights episode is an omen, not to be taken lightly as we close-out the sale of this house (the appraisal was this morning), and, the deadline for all of the inspection/appraisal reports is two days away.
For thousands of years the many cultures around the world have developed tales about night singing crickets, frogs, and insects . . . the trending is almost aligned: China, the Caribbean, and India believe a loud one means good luck or money is coming in, black ones are bad, green is good, and white/tan is divine.
So, we will see what Mr. Lacewing precludes when Tuesday rolls around.
A 2mm long tan lacewing on the inside back door glass.
He will not shut off ! turn the light on, almost touch him, no change-just debilitating noise. I open the door cup my hands around him and escort him outside (to "his" world, and "out" of mine), whew !
Online I learn the bugologists and scientific world is filled with idiots (there are no online recordings, accurate information, or true knowledge about lacewings in general) most of these people have read "someone elses" information on them, but has never seen one.
These pseudo-scientist types refer to these guys by their latin names (yea, I was really impressed too), but, then they compare this little guy to cicadas, jarflys, crickets, and seven toed Canadian Moose.
So, here is "my" story on lacewings:
These little guys look like a cross between a winged Termite, a Canadian Soldier (Mayfly), and a Katydid . . . only with a much smaller body, and out-of-proportion oversized see-through wings, I have seen them in light green or tan colors, a inch long is the biggest I have ever seen. BUT . . . i never knew they made noise ! (and neither do the bug-experts).
We always blame frogs for that nighttime din, but, I was just educated that for 73 years I was wrong, it is a combo of creatures that make Oregon nights so loud.
But on to the best part of this, the folklore.
Last nights episode is an omen, not to be taken lightly as we close-out the sale of this house (the appraisal was this morning), and, the deadline for all of the inspection/appraisal reports is two days away.
For thousands of years the many cultures around the world have developed tales about night singing crickets, frogs, and insects . . . the trending is almost aligned: China, the Caribbean, and India believe a loud one means good luck or money is coming in, black ones are bad, green is good, and white/tan is divine.
So, we will see what Mr. Lacewing precludes when Tuesday rolls around.