Crickets are Nature's Thermometer

With the current heat wave, I have noticed the nighttime cricket chirps more. Why? Remember that old wives tale about counting the cricket chirps to determine the outside temperature? I did. With a little searching for related internet links, I learned that the snowy tree cricket is responsible for the chirping that we hear. According to several sites, the simple formula to determine temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, is to count chirps for 15 seconds and add 39. Or count for 13 seconds and add 40. A more complicated formula is to count the chirps per minute, subtract 40, divide by 4 and then add 50 [(chirps/min-40)/4 + 50]. Visit Dartmouth Chemistry for an even more advanced mathematical explanation of this natural phenomenon, known as the Arrhenius equation. The equation is a function of temperature and can also be used to describe the rate of an ant's walk or the flashing pattern of fireflies.