October 5, 2001

5:37 PM

1200 video clipsof the American Wilderness, captured by PBS, is a great reminder of the country's natural beauty. For insectly weirdness, check out Maryland's cicada invasion.
posted by owillis (7 comments total)

Hinterland Who's Who
posted by todd at 6:45 PM on October 5, 2001

One of the things the web's good at, especially when we all get broadband to watch them....
posted by owillis at 8:21 PM on October 5, 2001

Never actually seen signs in the woods : "Now leaving American Wilderness. Canadian Wilderness ahead. Please reduce level of awe and hushed wonder."

I've got to say, Hinterland Who's Who turned me off from any burgeoning interest I might have had in Canada's flora and fauna before I was old enough to spell flora (McDonald or otherwise).

Fodder for countless satires, and justifiably so. Big yawn. At least there was always a chance that Marlin Perkins would get eaten out there in the Untamed Wilderness somehow. But HWW studiously managed to avoid anything that might possibly spark the interest of pretty much anybody.

Grumble grumble...
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 1:54 AM on October 6, 2001

I remember Maryland's last influx of cicadas. Big and dumb. They'd "bump" (fly) right into you on the street. The streets (and just about everywhere) were littered with their "carcasses" and the Washington Post published a list of recipes using cicada larva (yum!).

I can't wait for their next immergence. My children screamed a storm when carpenter ants made their [temporary] home in our house this summer. I can only imagine what they'll think of these big critters.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 5:27 AM on October 6, 2001

Bethesda, MD was absolutely covered in those cicadas. (shudder)

I didn't watch the video -- what year was that? All I remember is that I was in elementary school.
posted by jragon at 9:41 AM on October 6, 2001

"We've collected over 1200 video clips that enable you to experience America's wilderness firsthand..."

Um, wouldn't that be secondhand?
posted by pardonyou? at 10:32 AM on October 6, 2001

I didn't watch the video -- what year was that? All I remember is that I was in elementary school.

I remember them all over in middle school. I'm thinking '88/'89?
posted by owillis at 12:18 PM on October 6, 2001