Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Cicadas

Many people have heard but never seen a Cicada.  That whirring buzzing clicking sound you hear in the summer air is a male Cicada.  Vibrating membranes on the insect's abdomen create this sound.  You might call it a love song.





After the loving, the female cuts a slit in a young twig and deposits eggs.  Now the parent Cicadas have fulfilled their life's purpose and die.


When the eggs hatch the nymphs (wingless segmented creatures resembling a grub with sturdy legs and big eyes) fall to the ground and burrow into the dirt.  They remain underground sucking on root juices and growing for years, the number of years depends on the species and things like latitude and weather and other mysterious forces that effect bugs.


When the nymph reaches adulthood he emerges from the ground and climbs a tree.  The skin on his back splits open, peels back and out comes the adult Cicada. 



Some Cicada Facts

approximately 3,000 species
-  adult life span:  1 week
-  nymph life span:  1 to 20 years
-  adults have 4 wings
-  range:  throughout the US and southern Canada
-  adult size:  1 - 2.5 inches long 





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5 comments:

  1. Interesting. Loved the link, too!

    Almost like a cross between a horsefly and a locust.

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  2. And they are good eatin', love the crunchy shell.
    Walt the Terrier

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  3. Wierd. They live to only procreate. Hmm...

    Hugs,
    Shelly

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  4. That's why they call her a nymph-o Shelly!

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  5. Strange that they live that long as nymphs before the adult stage.

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