The Cicadas Are Here. You Have Nothing to Fear.

By Margaret Renkl

Produced by Kristina Samulewski

They’re noisy and clumsy, and there are a trillion of them. Take a stroll with the Opinion contributing writer Margaret Renkl as she shares the sounds of cicadas buzzing and mating in her Nashville neighborhood. For Renkl, these often maligned insects give her great hope and joy.

(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)

Credit…Illustration by Akshita Chandra/The New York Times; Photograph by Robert Kramer/Getty Images

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This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Kristina Samulewski. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Aman Sahota and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. Our executive producer is Annie-Rose Strasser.

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