The Apuanaut

Neotibicen superbus, “dog-day cicada“
Mailed July 2025

Front cover: Black pen and typewrite ink on cardstock.

Back cover: Black pen ink on cardstock.

Note: The QR code on the back of the card no longer works, because apparently I don’t understand how to generate QR codes. It originally linked to this video.

Inside: Black pen and typewrite ink on cardstock.

Fun fact: the term “dog days” actually originated in ancient Greece.

The Latin phrase dies caniculares translates literally to “days of the dog star.”

The dog star refers to Sirius, so named because it appears in the constellation Canis Major, which follows Orion through the night sky like a loyal dog.

Ancient astronomers believed that, during the stretch from early July to mid-August, the rising of Sirius added to the sun’s power, resulting in the scorching summer heat we associate with that time of year. Thus, the phrase “dog days” was born.

Dog-day cicadas encompass several species of cicadas that emerge annually in North America during the hottest part of the summer. Here in the North Texas suburbs, the most common species are those that thrive during these sweltering months. I’ve drawn one on the cover of this card: Neotibicen superbus, the species I hear most often. You’ll never guess how these “dog day” cicadas got their name!

I lived in Tennessee during the 2007 emergence of Cicada Brood XIX, a type of periodical cicada that only appears every 13 years. Going to sleep every night that summer listening to their songs engraved their music into the light and water that compose my deep psyche, I think. They sound quite different from the dog-day cicadas of North Texas, but they love to sing just the same.

Historically, the dog days were thought to bring bad luck.

I don’t believe that’s true, though. I think cicadas are lucky creatures.

And I think we’re lucky to hear them sing during the hottest evenings of the year.

May the evenings of your dog days be filled with music and love,

Jason Apuan