Sun Goes By

The song Sun Goes By by Dr. Music was heard on the radio in June 1972. Played on CKLW 800 AM out of Canada.     I only caught the tail end of the song like five times, but I liked it so much I had to go buy the single. At the time I was recording my favorite songs off the radio on a cassette tape recorder.  Since I  couldn’t seem to catch it on the radio when I had the recorder ready, I went to our local record store called Seligman Brother Record’s.  I believe they were  a Canadian artist that CKLW was required to play like 70% Canadian artists at the time.

After that song I purchased every favorite song or got it on Greatest hits packages of whatever artist.

It was on Bell Records, one of the last record companies to record the 45 RPM singles in stereo. It can still be heard on Canadian AM radio station CKWW 580. Broadcasting from the legendary studios of the BIG 8 CKLW. Check out this great song for yourself:

https://youtu.be/AiraoEJ5eBw

Gary Lovell
Copyright. 2023

July 31, 2020, Fifty Years Ago Nature Notes.

This memory came up on Facebook. In the middle the COVID pandemic in 2020, I was going through my insect notes from 1970 which was fifty years earlier. At that time I wasn’t always putting my nature notes on wordpress. So here is that entry:

Today’s Nature Note: well actually last weeks note. Some aspects of nature haven’t changed in fifty years. July 21, 1970 I wrote I was going to keep tabs on things like the “firsts” of the year. Like this: “July 5th I heard the first cicada”( in 2020 it was July 4th), ( in 2023 it was July 6). “Today I heard my first Snowy Tree Cricket and field cricket”. In 2020 heard the first Snowy Tree Cricket on July 20th. ( In 2023 it was on July 27). Back then we had a small colony of Snowy Tree Crickets in West Toledo near our house on Gramercy and I believe in our backyard in a snowball bush. I don’t remember when I stopped hearing them there, perhaps I may find it in the pages of my nature journal someday. Here is my close up video of a Snowy Tree Cricket.

Gary Lovell
Copyright. 2023

FASCINATING UPDATE: Cool Blue Wasps Saga.

Note the two new colors of caps.

Very interesting update since I wrote this: as seen in the above photo two of the empty chambers are now filled with leaf caps. Yellow and green. I only know of leaf cutter bees that use leaves. It will be interesting to see the results next year. I will figure out a way to cover it so I can see what emerges next summer. The activity should be done here for the year. But hey I thought that two weeks ago.

I have always been fascinated with bees and wasps. Some of my favorites are the native paper wasps (not the nervous European paper wasps), the mud daubers and the pipe organ wasp. When I was younger at my parents house we had mud daubers in our yard gathering mud from the swimming pool splashes that created mud puddles. And close by was our garage without windows and doors where the wasps made lots of nests up in the rafters.

The regular mud dauber makes a mud nest with several tubes side by side. The female catches and stings spiders and some insects and stuffs them into one of the tubular cells. The paralyzed insect stays alive so that the grub, that hatches out of the single egg laid in the the cell, will have food. The larva/ grub lives through most of the summer in Northwest Ohio then transforms into a pupa that overwinters. The blue mud dauber refered to in the title is a different animal. It reuses old mud nests. Has a characteristic nervous twitch of it’s pretty blue wings.

When we moved stuff out our uncle’s shed I found this cement block with a mud wasp nest on it. It is on my coldframe under a canoe so the mud doesn’t get damaged by rain. So it’s been protected and used by two seasons of blue mud daubers. The first year, 2021, the occupants were regular Mud Daubers. I have NOT see the regular Mud Daubers since. Blue Mud Daubers are the only ones now into their third summer here. Indicating they take over old empty nests. And don’t necessarily take over the nests already occupied cells. See accompaying photos of the same nest, one with only a hole or two from the spring. The other has multiple holes since the adult Blue Mud Daubers came out this June. And one taken today with even more tubes cleaned out. The adults will congregate under my canoe at night. At my brother’s house in North Carolina an out building had dozens of Blue Mud Daubers under the rafters. Wish I had a Picture.

Gary Lovell
Copyright. 2023

Blue Mud Daubers gather for the night.

July 23, 2023 has more holes open getting cleaned out for the new occupants.

Nest in spring with only two empty holes.

In June several nest tube holes were open from emerged wasps.

July 28, 2023 discovered fresh caps on four holes. It did rain last night.

17 Year Cicada Brood X 2021 [Periodical Cicada]

Since 1987, whenever I drive by trees along highways in June even if they are not areas where Periodical Cicadas live I am brought back to the memories of those days. So after two years here is the recap of my trips to see Brood X(10) of the Seventeen Year Cicada.
The 2021 emergence of the largest brood of the 17 year Cicada is perhaps the last time I would be able to see Brood X, as I visited all the places I previously visited in 1987 and 2004. This year I got to be in the middle for hours and a weekend during the peak in Cincinnati area. As an outsider, I was a visitor and did not have to put up with there sound 24 /7 for four weeks. However I witnessed
all aspects that I wanted to experience and discover in the population I visited in Sharonville, Ohio near the epicenter of Cincinnati, Ohio.

I did NOT hear them at obnoxious levels of sound all night. Some sporadically
buzzed or made noise well into the night. The next morning also heard them sporadically warming up.
By the afternoon the sound ramped up to being so loud and constant in places that I had to wear earplugs.

They were singing, crawling, mating, mating while crawling, and flying. Singing in waves of sound from the tops of trees. They flew on to my wife Barb, on a car tire and one got into the car. They were on walls, poles, cars, shrubs, trees, grass blades and on the dog. The discarded shells were stuck to everything and in piles under the trees.

They were in tree clumps at the edge of the highway and between the highway clover leaves. In places not expected because things like buildings and highways were built where the underground nymphs lived. With no way to move during construction the survivors came out to do their stuff anyway, where ever it took them. For those who did not get to experience it, I have a list of videos below of all aspects I saw and heard.

I have read Dr. Gene Kritsky’s book on the history of Periodical Cicadas – The Plague and the Puzzle. It didn’t give me info I personally wanted to know or witness but it still had so much cool and historical observations from people who encountered them in their lives and travels all those centuries ago..

In 1987 I was able to see the population in Northwest Ohio at Ayersville on State Route 15 a population that was not on agriculture and state extension service maps in 1987 and 2004. And because of Dr. Kritsky’s Cicada Safari app, in 2021, that location and others in Ohio are now officially on the map for Brood X. He had such a response to his Cicada Safari app for civilian documentation of the emerging cicadas, it was just amazing at 125,000 downloads. More info at this link:

https://www.msj.edu/news/2021/05/cicada-safari-app-reaches-120000-downloads.html

Since I didn’t know anything about them in 1987, except the things I read were that they sang 24 hours and flew everywhere. In 2004 I had a date of which they were to start coming out of the ground from 1987 data -May 18, so I reserved a campsite at Powell campground for those days. Fully expecting to see one day nothing happening and the next day thousands and a full chorus. Guess what I found? : the holes everywhere but barely a trickle. Maybe a dozen adult cicadas seen along the walking route I took. Three weeks later at the same place thousands clinging to every house, fence, tree, shrub. Although they were NOT flying around in the numbers expected. I have video but it’s on a DVD or a VHS tape. I hope to get some videos online as soon as I can.

In 2004, I was fully expecting to visit other new areas, but family vacation in Florida precluded that. However we DID pass through all the areas where they were, but it was after dark- we drove all night on June 11-12 and 19-20, so we didn’t encounter the cicadas. And the Florida location, Orlando, was not a Periodical Cicada brood habitat.

I did find a new place the maps showed was in the Ann Arbor, Michigan. However they were barely still alive when I visited near the end of June on the 25th. In 2021, I did visit the area and found the cicadas alive and well on June 25.

Periodical Cicada Dates Brood X (largest) I Visited.

1987

June 7, 1987  Bellefontaine, Ohio Rt 68, full chorus

June 18, 1987 Ayersville, Ohio Rt 15, full chorus

June 21, 1987 Bellefontaine, Ohio Rt 68, dying

2004

May 18, – 20, 2004 Ayersville, Ohio campground, barely out of ground

May 29, 2004 Ayersville, Ohio w/Deb Briner, full chorus

June 25, 2004 Ann Arbor garden / preserve, mostly dead

July 4-10, 2004 Pioneer Scout Reservation, dead, remains and broken twigs with eggs.

2021

May 22, 2021 Ayersville, Ohio w/ Barb, further along than May 18, 2004, not singing though

May 29, 2021 Ayersville, Ohio and Pioneer, Ohio Scout Reservation windy, cold, more emerged, not singing.

May 31, 2021 Pokagon State Peak, Indiana and Pioner Scout Camp. Lots emerged but not singing

June 4 -6 Bellefontaine, Ohio on way to Cincinnati, Sharonville, Fairfield and Kentucky, in the heart of it all, full chorus

June 13, 2021 Ayersville, Ohio area Potter Road like 1987.

June 20, 2021 Pioneer Scout Reservation, Ohio w/Dave Lovell. full chorus

June 25, 2021 Ann Arbor, Michigan, Cherry Hill Nature Preserve chorus still going on, less volume.

July 25, 2021 Springdale, Ohio,  holes and shells aftermath.

1987 Visits
   June 7: Drive south on I75 turn around at Piqua/Urbana Exit found them on Route 68 near Bellefontaine, Ohio
   June 18: Visit population Ext. Service said was on Route 15 near Ayersville, Ohio
   June 21: revisit  Route 68 near Bellefontaine

2004 Visits.
   May 18, to 20:  Camped at Camp Powell, Ayersville, Ohio
   May 29: Ayersville w/ friend Deb
   June 11-12 and 19-20 : drove through all areas after dark to and from Florida.
   June 25: Ann arbor area

Video list:
1987 Ayersville, Ohio
June 18.
https://youtu.be/N1Cy1rb9Ldw
Pt. 1
https://youtu.be/E3pvexr3900
Pt. 2
https://youtu.be/GkV7mF9tkfQ
Pt. 3
https://youtu.be/YdpTh6VcwJ8
Pt. 4
https://youtu.be/Su1MtdjYOiM
Pt. 5
https://youtu.be/AOjO-1iQkfg
Pt. 6
https://youtu.be/5FJOs8VS5lY

1987 Bellefontaine, Ohio
June 7
Pt. 1
https://youtu.be/rbyphrOkIk0
Pt. 2
https://youtu.be/QTV5nbArEjo

The following list is of the YouTube videos taken in order of the 2021 Periodical Cicada trips:

1. 2021  Ayersville, Ohio. May 22.
https://youtu.be/lfD166f9B0I

2. 2021  Ayersville, Ohio. May 27.
https://youtu.be/S1R1CReFsRY

3. 2021  Pioneer Scout Reservation Ohio. May 31.
https://youtu.be/f9lgkuaSEsg
3a. 2021. Pioneer SR
https://youtu.be/r4EB2L9WrpQ

4. 2021  Camp Wesley. June 4.
https://youtu.be/fG2x4F46gxM
4a. 2021. Camp Wesley
https://youtu.be/r6vvOjvTAaQ
4b. 2021. Camp Wesley
https://youtu.be/f5uIfQ2rNnM
4c.  Camp Wesley
https://youtu.be/EEUxGLUJyJQ

5. 2021  McDonalds and Sharonville. June 4
https://youtu.be/SgiVvJMO4HM

6. 2021  Route 68 to Cincinnati. June 4.
https://youtu.be/JjmnQOG7c-8

7. 2021  June 4,5 Sharonville, Ohio
Stayed at La Quinta Hotel. All of No. 7 videos are in Sharonville, Ohio
https://youtu.be/geFM44-G8Ms

7a. Daylight parking lot.
https://youtu.be/W3Rjm2PaLV8

7b. Daylight, more parking lot
https://youtu.be/d_LN8XUVgZg

7c. Corner near highway. Loud,  wearing earplugs.
https://youtu.be/PNy5l_ESTyk

7d. Evening, in parking lot
https://youtu.be/gm_l4F0xWa0

7e. Tree in parking lot island.
https://youtube.com/shorts/-OIEsCmlsks?feature=share3

7f. Daylight Parking Lot.
https://youtu.be/HDVgqNsxn5I

7g. Evening. Robins and singing Cicadas.
https://youtu.be/Q6r_Sb1ZTz4

7h.  Parking lot pole.
https://youtu.be/8pRkv3ymxb8

7i.  Driving with cicada on outside of car.
https://youtu.be/_R2-uvI5LPw

7j.  9 AM  warming up .
https://youtu.be/EvkEBWaBcrQ

7k.  After Dark: Robins  Cicadas resting for the night.
https://youtu.be/dMPnQIuMsQA

7l.  Daylight , Several mating pairs on tree.
https://youtube.com/shorts/oGdzEQ4HISo?feature=share3

7m.  After Dark. Mating pairs on ground.
https://youtube.com/shorts/RK5UdNkXNgU?feature=share3

8.  2021  Fairfield, Ohio June 5.
https://youtu.be/7I8A7LqQ9Ec

9. 2021 Fairfield, Ohio June 5.
https://youtu.be/WLMe96FkVqQ

No videos listed for 10, 11, and 12.

13. 2021 Ayersville, Ohio. June 13, 2nd visit. Porter Road
https://youtu.be/ByTmXwgkjvc

14. 2021 Ayersville, Ohio June 13
Dog walking along road
https://youtu.be/v5-AloSxh8A

15. 2021 Ayersville, Ohio June 13, Driving
https://youtu.be/3hV2oeF7gng

16a. 2021  Pioneer Scout Reservation 2nd visit June 20.
https://youtu.be/ODgABSWdF0Y
16b. 2021 Pioneer SR June 20 visit
https://youtu.be/fcwgOc3tqao
16c. 2021  Second visit
https://youtu.be/Qb4NG3nWm-Q

This entry is related to this second visit video above. Periodical cicada 2021 update:  In July 2004 our scout troop was at  Camp Frontier near Pioneer, Ohio.

The cicadas were done by then and all I saw was the dead decaying carcasses, wings, shedded skins and the damaged twigs and branches that eggs were laid in.

So on my cicada bucket list this year ,2021, was to visit the camp while they were in full chorus. On June 20, I had the chance, with my brother Dave visiting for a few days.

It turns out it was opening week of summer camp. With permission we were able to check them out and document for the Cicada Safari app map. I advised the nature director  there about documenting them with the app. She said she would. There wasn’t alot flying around in the immediate area but there was a constant drone in the distant along the whole route we took. Gave my brother a tour of the camp too. One of these photos is my first close up of the egg slits on a twig.

17. 2021. Ann Arbor, Michigan June 25, 2021
Pt. 1.
https://youtu.be/wwy39402Rxk
Pt. 2.
https://youtu.be/Xgf-yySwHZI
Pt. 3.
https://youtu.be/Fss9JqvCxZw

Videos of Maps:

No. 1. https://youtu.be/2iPK3KE2aRw Ayersville ,Ohio

No. 2. https://youtu.be/q2TLBiJU1bg Cincinatti and Bellefontaine, Ohio

No. 3 https://youtu.be/jN8noWLud9U Ann Arbor, Michigan

See link for more info. 
1995 Article:
https://unusualperspectivesbyme.wordpress.com/2020/10/10/thoughts-on-the-17-year-cicada/

2021 Article:
https://unusualperspectivesbyme.wordpress.com/2021/01/30/2021-periodical-cicada-brood-x/

and photos from
2004 Brood with many other critters and sites found along the way at both Ayersville ,Ohio and Camp Pioneer: X:https://www.flickr.com/gp/glovell2008/p 9P5x4y09j

Gary Lovell
Copyright. 2023