Dog day cicadas like the Neotibicen tibicen pictured below are chirping outside right now and have been at it for a few weeks. They are named for the dog days of summer when they appear.
The dog days, traditionally early July to early August, are called that because the dog star, Sirius, appears in the predawn sky at that time.
And the dog star is called that for being the brightest star we see in the constellation Canis Major — the great dog.
Here is my favorite cicada haiku. It’s by Matsuo Basho:
“The cry of the cicada
Gives us no sign
That presently it will die.”
Julie Feinstein
I am a Collection Manager at the American Museum of Natural History, an author, and a photographer. I live in New York City. I recently published my first popular science book, Field Guide to Urban Wildlife, an illustrated collection of natural history essays about common animals. I update my blog, Urban Wildlife Guide, every Sunday.
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