Does it feel like a time of madness when wine sours and both man and beast hover on the edges of despair and rage? Welcome to the dog days of summer!
Dog Days of Summer
This is the period of the year the ancient Romans called the “dog days” in honor of the rising of the dog star, Sirius, with the morning sun. They thought the heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, bad luck, and often unbearable humidity of the late summer and start of the fall were due to the combined powers of these two stars bearing down on the Earth.
Cicada Songs
One sure sign that dog days are upon us and fall is just around the corner is the buzzing song of the cicada, opens a new window. It’s a song I listen for each year.
Folk legend says that when you hear the first song of the dog-day cicadas, it means there's just six weeks until the first frost.
Cicada Books
Want more of these curious insects? Check out one of these cicada-themed books.
The Bizarre Life Cycle of A Cicada
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