The nights at last have fallen quiet.
Only the seasonal sound of crickets remain as autumn nears in Seoul, after a roaring summer stretch through July and August. The sound of the cicada is unmistakable in many cities in East Asia. In Seoul, this distinctive and penetrating shrill marks the arrival of high summer as these large insects emerge from underground to mate and live out the second part of their short above ground lives. They take shelter in the older canopies of mature trees, occasionally swooping down for fly-by's, avoiding any number of birds-of-prey, in search of a mate. Prior to their emergence these tree dwellers spend the better part of seven and as many as fifteen years underground as grubs maturing. After burrowing out from underground they shed a beige skin as their bodies continue evolving. Evidence of this molting can be seen in empty shells still clinging to tree trunks where the cicada have emerged, leaving behind their subterranean armor.
In unison the chorus sound of hundreds of cicada create a saw like rattle as they vibrate their pulsating abdomen against fast moving wings. Summer nights persist through the haze of humidity and acoustic domination of penetrating song; unescapable. For now, this enveloping sound canopy, has gone quiet. Until next years cyclical population returns.
