Cicadas And Cicada Killer Wasps: A Sign Summer Is At It’s Peak At The Susquehanna Wetlands

 

I love the sound of cicadas. I have  heard their  buzzing, high pitched  droning and whining  sounds on my travels all over the world. There are over 3,000  species of cicadas.  Most are annual cicadas but here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania  we also have a few of the 13 and 17 year periodic  species found only in the United States.   There were no periodic cicadas hatching  this year in Pennsylvania, but I heard  the annual cicadas   in the Susquehanna Wetlands in Luzerne County two weeks ago.  This is a photo of a periodic cicada and link to blog post when I traveled to a cicada hatch last year. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/the-periodical-cicadas-are-back-i-found-them-on-my-first-hike-in-state-game-lands-52-in-berks-county/

I returned to the wetlands on Sunday, to listen to the cicadas and see if the  cicada killer wasps were still nesting  along the trail near Lake Took-A-While. These large and docile wasps sting cicadas and bring them back to their underground nests where they lay their eggs on the dead cicadas. It was mostly sunny and cool with temperatures in the upper 50’s when I arrived in the wetlands around 7 :30 a.m. I made my usual stop at the Water Fowl Ponds   near the entrance road  to the wetlands.

Once again I saw a couple of great blue herons fly off from the other side of the lake. There were a couple of wood ducks on the green waters of the ponds.  Algae and duck weed growing on the lake give it it’s green colors. Like on my previous visits there were not many birds singing in the trees along the ponds.

I did see a couple of eastern cottontail rabbits  along the road. 

The  only wildflowers blooming along the lake where  pretty, but invasive bouncing -bet or soapwort flowers.

Spice bushes growing along the ponds have produced their berries, a sign  the end of Summer approaches.

I drove to the wetlands and  took my usual walk down to the ancient Susquehanna River.

Walking back to the trail in the wetlands I  saw this white tail deer watching me,

and then I heard the call of a Cooper’s hawk   in the large red maple trees in the picnic  area by the parking lot. I flew across the parking lot and perched in a tree,

allowing me get some photos of this beautiful raptor.

I walked into the wetlands where the ancient oak, red maple and sycamore trees were still lush and green.

However the many wildflowers of Spring and early Summer where no longer blooming,  instead I saw the seed heads of the bristly sedges 

 Gray’s sedges and,

cattails, all native to the wetlands of Pennsylvania.

I also found this edible old man of the woods  bolete mushroom,

and  a large pile of very fresh bear scat. I was now excited to maybe see a bear. It has been a few years since I saw one in the wetlands.

And I saw this critter, I think the first I saw in the wetlands, a raccoon that was entering a nest along the banks of the old river canal.

Walking  through the marsh in the wetlands,

I saw a fledging song sparrow perched on a branch above a spider web,

and a few common yellowthroats, this is a masked male.

I walked to the Water Fowl ponds,

and saw a few  wood ducks perched on a log.

An eastern phobe was feeding on a berry,

 and an American goldfinch was gathering the fluffy seed heads from creeping thistle flowers.  . Unlike most songbirds that breed in the spring, they wait until mid-summer so they can feed their chicks with newly ripened seeds and line their nests with plant down from thistles and milkweed.

A few swamp sparrows were also in the woodlands along the ponds.

I began my hike to the river lands area of this private nature preserve,

encountering a few gray squirrels along the way.

It is about a mile from the Water Fowl ponds to the river lands, but, as usual in the Summer months I first walk back down to the river, and take the trail through the  large oak trees along the banks of the river,

to the new trails in the  former farm fields and meadows.

Here, in the meadows some mid Summer wildflowers were in bloom, including  invasive yellow loosestrrife,

and bull thistle.

The native pokeweed ,

northern arrowwood  have already produced their berries.

I saw a few birds in the fields, including northern yellow warblers,

a Carolina wren,

and  a few gray catbirds.

Soaring high overhead was this broad shouldered hawk caring what looked like a small rodent.

I continued my hike into the river lands where I saw a family of wood ducks quickly  swimming away as I approached. The parents and four duckling crawled out of the canal and into a wetland on the other side, leaving this duckling to fend for itself in the canal.

I walked  on the trail between Lake Took-A-While and the canal,

 and watched as a flock of Canada geese flew overhead,

and landed on the lake.

It was now late morning and the strong July sun warmed the morning air and I heard the first buzzing calls of the annual cicadas. It is a calming sound to me and brings back so many wonderful memories of the Summers of my childhood.

Unfortunately for the cicadas the nest of cicada killer wasps were still along the trail above the  lake. I love sitting near the nest and watch as the dozens of wasps buzz past my head.

They will capture  and kill the cicadas. I  have been observing these nest for a few years now but I have never seen one with a cicada.

I left the buzzing wasps and walked to the far end of the lake,  passing folks walking on the trail or fishing along the shore of the lake.

In the woodlands along the lake I saw this eastern warbling vireo,

and this bright scarlet tanager singing in the trees.

Some clouds moved in as I began my hike back to the wetlands. The strong July sun still was able to  raise  the temperature  and the sounds of the cicadas were louder in the mid day warmth

While  walking along the canal  I saw wood duckling still swimming in the green duck weed covered  waters next to a painted turtle. Here is a link to a photo gallery on my blog website with some more photos of the birds I saw on my hike. Susquehanna Wetlands birds July 26 2026.

 I enjoyed the concert the cicadas were putting on in the tree tops as I  finished my 5 mile hike.  The cicadas will always be my favorite daytime Summer sound. In the evening it is the katydids who also just started their nighttime concerts. I love the sounds, sights, and smells of Summer.  Every day is another opportunity to explore and marvel at the beauty of nature. Here is a link to a photo gallery on my blog website with some more photos from  my hike. Susquehanna Wetlands  July 26 2026.

“Again and again, the cicada’s untiring cry pierced the sultry summer air like a needle at work on thick cotton cloth.” ~ Yukio Mishima