On the East Coast of the United States, there is a 17-year-old cicada named after its peculiar life cycle, which breaks out in flocks at regular intervals. Recently, after 17 years of dormancy underground, billions of 17-year-old cicadas have begun to climb out of the ground and sing in the branches.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the cicada first appeared in the Americas in 1893, and every 17 years in the same region since then.
17-year cicadas, also known as periodic cicadas, Brudd cicadas, are endemic species of cicadas in North America, each batch is named after the number of years they wait to hatch, such as "Brudd 13 cicadas", incubation time is 13 years, more than 17 years. The 17-year-old cicada in the United States is the longest known insect with a lifespan, and it lies dormant in the ground after birth, sucking up tree roots for a living. After 17 years, when the surface temperature reaches 18 degrees Celsius, they will break ground. After a few weeks of survival and mating in the trees, they die and their offspring continue to dormant underground until they come out again after 17 years.
There are 13 groups of cicadas in the United States in 17 years, but 1 of them is probably extinct; there are 4 groups of cicadas in 13 years, and 1 of them is probably extinct. So there are 15 groups left – or a lot.
If the forest climate conditions are adapted, the number of cicadas per acre of land will reach an average of 1.5 million.
Each of these cicadas can live for about three or four weeks. So the total time of each "outbreak" of the cycle cicada is about 1-1.5 months.
Scientists (2013) don't know why cicadas appear only every 17 years, but perhaps the mystery can be finally solved by studying the rhythm of the seasons and hormonal changes. In addition, scientists can't explain why the cicada's life cycle is so long.
The purpose of the 17-year cicada synchronization may probably be to drown predators. But that's not a foregone conclusion.
Another possibility is to prevent hybridization between groups.
But it is almost certain that it obeys the highest laws of the survival of natural species. Because they have long been stung underground, it is difficult to become food for other animals. But once they break through the ground and mate, they become the prey of everything, including people. It is only because of their large number that this can guarantee to some extent that they will continue to "have children" and reappear in 2021.
In addition, the 17-year-old cicada also plays a vital role in maintaining ecological balance. Cicada chiseling passages can loosen the soil and ventilate the soil. Although the eggs they lay may be harmful to small trees, they can prune the branches and leaves of large trees. They provide nutritious food for many animals, such as moles, rats, snakes and birds. After they die, billions of corpses provide large amounts of valuable nitrogen to the soil at the top of the land.
17 years of cicadas can be eaten.
Many countries in Latin America, Asia and Australia have a habit of eating cicadas. As early as June 1902 (before the appearance of the sixth generation of cycle cicadas), the Cincinnati Counselor reported that people had tasted cicada-based cakes at a party. Some people prefer to eat fried cicadas. In the 1990s, cicada food was so popular in Chicago that even Time magazine couldn't resist the temptation to report on it.
For gourmets, cicadas that have just crawled out of the ground or just shed their shells taste the best, and it is said that before their wings harden, the female cicadas taste even better than the male cicadas.
Attached is a book of cycle cicada recipes from the University of Maryland:
The best cicadas are larvae that have just been unearthed and whose shells have not yet completely hardened, commonly known as the one that knows the monkey. They crawl out of the soil at night, find suitable branches, and molt in the morning. So it's best to call a flashlight in the middle of the night or early in the morning to look for it in the woods.
Please cook in water for 4-5 minutes as soon as possible after finding it, unless you want to see them molt...
Immediately after cooking, it can be eaten according to the following recipes, or frozen storage. Note that the stored cicadas are best used only for grilling dishes, and some dishes can only be made fresh.
If you really can't get up, you can also use adult female individuals. Males have no meat and are not tasty. But remember to throw away the hard shells when eating, they are harmless but not delicious.
raw material:
30 freshly unearthed 17-year-old cicada larvae
2 Tbs. fennel seeds (European cumin)
1 teaspoon salt
2 glasses of sherry
1 tbsp soy sauce
Extra water, sherry or rice wine
10 mashed garlic cloves
Celery and radish leaves (for decoration)
method:
Add salt, fennel seeds and cicadas to the sherry, cook for 5 minutes and remove the cicadas
Sauté minced garlic and soy sauce, add the right amount of water and an equal amount of sherry until the paste is formed
The cicadas are fried thoroughly, strung on bamboo skewers, laid flat on a plate, and the celery and radish leaves are added, and the garlic paste is spread on the plate to make it look like a few cicadas have crawled out of the mud and are marching towards the green leaves.