Brood Awakening

17
Every 17 years, cicadas emerge from the ground, and swarm the region in plague-like numbers. They mate, lay eggs, and die about a month after coming out of the ground, and their larvae will not appear for another 17 years.

15
Different broods of 17-year or 13-year cicadas have been identified around the United States. Each of these broods populate different regions of the country and emerge in different years.

XIV
Brood XIV is swarming Upper Cape Cod right now. Yesterday, I saw several cicada exoskeletons clinging to the house. Today there were more, including a few that were emerging from their shell. Today I heard the first hum of one -- I think they sound like UFOs, or maybe a soft, high-pitched power drill. When you hear one cicada calling alone, you question whether it's really an insect -- when hundreds of them are calling, there's no longer any doubt. One of the best things about Brood XIV is that I don't need Photoshop to treat red-eye on any of the cicada pictures I take.

15
Cicadas needed to make Cicada Granola Chews. Don't forget to break off the legs and wings before cutting them up and putting them in the batter!

4
Four years ago, Cicada Brood X flooded the skies around Washington, D.C., where I lived at the time. So I'm starting to feel like a bit of an expert on cicada infestation. They're giant and terrifying-looking, but they're harmless to humans. Enjoy them while they're around.

Improved Herring?

322.6.17
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Resolution that prohibits the stateside harvest, possession, or sale of herring through 2008. Lucky for me, I know a herring dealer -- actually, it's a grocery store that sells salted herring. (I assume it's a different species that comes from out of state, and that this is an entirely legal operation.) I tried it once, and only once, a couple of months ago. I can't say I recommend it. Not for humans, anyway.

400,000
Estimated number of alewife herring that pass through the Bournedale Herring Run each year. In recent years, that number declined sharply -- hence the above-mentioned law. There may be some good news for herring lovers, though. A man I spoke to at the Bournedale Herring Run today said he saw more of them swimming by the culvert on the Cape Cod Canal than he's seen in years. They were splashing around the entrance to the run, and trying to muscle each other out of the way.

0
Number of alewife herring I saw going aerial and leaping up the steps in the fish-ladder at Bournedale today. I did see some swimming in the pools beneath some of the steps, apparently waiting to summon up the strength to leap to the next step. But no leaping fish in sight -- one's odds are supposedly better if one goes at high tide.