Evening sounds

Southern evenings, especially in the transition from day to dusk to night, are filled with sound; cicadas and day-singing crickets give way to evening-singing crickets, katydids, and tree frogs. I love the nocturnal symphony.

Distinguishing between them takes some study. I've been working on it for awhile (although perhaps not diligently enough!) Lang Elliot's The Sounds of Insects is loaded on the main iPod, but I need to put it on the small one that I take walking or when I'm in the garden. It's not the first thing I'd think about listening to, though, I'm afraid. There's definitely an instructive aspect to trying to listen to sequences of insect calls that isn't that appealing, but maybe it's just a new language to learn.

I just had to look up whether it was cicadas or katydids that called during the day (they have similar loud raspy calls), but I'm beginning to be able to hear the differences between tree frogs and the different species of crickets (hmm). There are so many things to have fun learning about, sometimes I think I get almost distracted with the possibilities.

A nocturnal symphony

I never tire of listening to the songs of crickets, cicadas, and katydids. In the southern U.S., summer evenings are alive with sound, changing as evening progresses. I don't have any great depth of knowledge about the biology of these insects, only what I've had fun learning by studying up for night hikes.

But distinguishing between the distinctive calls of different species is fascinating, and the ability of audio files and internet access to easily bring these songs to my study (and transfer CD files to my iPod) are such a wonderful way to appreciate the evening chorus.

The pleasant times of the day now are before 10 am and after 7:30 pm in our heat; fortitude and acclimation is required for working outdoors in between those times.


But, the humidity brings exceptional color to our sunsets, and it was lovely being outdoors at 8:30 this evening.

And, I'm looking forward to receiving the book and digital files that go with the Songs of Insects website that I found looking for night sounds again. I'm sure it will be great.