We’re in a rainy and unseasonably warm spell. The temperatures had been moderate with nice breezes, but it was too warm to enjoy the porch yesterday afternoon and evening. Not only was it about 87 degrees, but there was very little breeze. The forecast for next week is for highs around 90, and I imagine this weekend will be almost as warm.
We’ve been hearing the katydids sporadically during the day for about two weeks. There has been some sparse singing at night, as if they were trying to get something started. Last night was the first night they sang in a sustained way, with seemingly all of them joining in. I don’t know how many there will be this summer, because I don’t think the wet weather favors them, given that they emerge from the ground. It’s a bit hard for me to tell, because there have been a lot of trees cut on a neighboring lot, which reduces their habitat.
There have been more lightening bugs than in most years. I think the wet weather does favor them.
Get outside at night and give the katydids a listen. They’re one of the true joys of our area. My father loved to open up the cabin and lay in bed listening to them. I usually keep the house closed up because of my allergies, but I love to sit on the porch in the dark listening to them.