We live in Peterborough, just west of Wallis drive. Since about mid-August, starting just at dusk, we hear cricket-like sounds coming from the trees in our neighborhood. The frequency of the sound is about that of a cricket, but is continuous rather than the intermittent cricket’s call. There seems to be dozens of these creatures all singing at once. On warmer nights, they continue until about 5:00 am. From what we can remember, this started about 3-4 years ago. Our son who lives in the north end tells us they are not present in his area. Can you tell us what these creatures might be and where we might see a photo of one?
Al Dawson, Hawthorne Drive
I believe that what you are hearing are tree crickets and most likely the Four-spotted Tree Cricket. We have them (or a closely related tree cricket species) in our yard up on Maple Crescent, too. Click here for the call. I’ve tried to actually see one but have never been successful. As to how long they’ve been here, I’m not sure, but I only became aware of them in the past couple of years. Let me know if you think this is the species you’re hearing.
Snowy Tree Cricket – similar in appearance to the Four-spotted Tree Cricket – Wikimedia
