Memories of a Cicada Summer

When I was seven, the cicadas hit DC in biblical fashion. At least in my memory, they were even more prolific than this summer. I went cicada-crazy, building houses for them and making jewelry from the carcasses. One day, my best friend and I covered our shirts with the live bugs and rang her doorbell. The nanny opened the door and nearly fainted with fright. It was glorious. Sadly, there are no family photographs of me with the bugs.

As it turns out, some DC kids today are just as cicada-crazy as I was. I went with seven year old Coco and her parents to the woods near McLean Gardens to find some. Who knew that cicadas could be beautiful? If you know how to look, there are flashes of beauty in your real life all the time. Let me know if you need help finding them!