Cicadas

So, they live underground for 17 years, they emerge en mass, make a ton of noise, fly around, mate, then die off, only to emerge again 17 years later.

And this is year 17.

Ya, we really didn't consider a plague of locusts^* when we planned our outdoor wedding reception, but now we're just going to go with the flow and assume that All Will be Well, albeit noisy.

Still don't know what I'm talking about? Meet Brood X.

So, since we realized that we might have a few million uninvited guests attending the reception, I've gotten really interested in this cicada phenomenon. We always had cicadas in the summer in Ohio when I was growing up, but evidently Brood X wasn't in the picture because I don't remember any major commotion in 1987. I've been following cicada news for the past couple of months and am eagerly awaiting the emergence here in D.C. (a little too eagerly, according to Anne). And as of May 5th, the cicadas appear to have begun their emergence in East Tennessee. I'm expecting them here in D.C. any day now. If you're as interested in the cicada emergence as I am (somehow I doubt it), head on over to CicadaMania.com to read some really fascinating articles. Yes, I know, I'm a geek.

^* Ya, I know they aren't really locusts, but that's what I knew 'em as when I was a kid and old habits die hard. Plus, "plague of cicadas" doesn't have that Old Testament ring to it.