Detailing the physical features, habits, territorial reach and other identifying qualities of the Cicada
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Image Credit: Joe V. from AR
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Image Credit: Alex -icycatelf- Bowen
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Image Credit: Steven L. and his granddaughters
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Image Credit: Amanda K., taken in Rio Rancho, NM
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The loud roar of Cicadas in the trees can reach screeching levels heard all day and into dusk, and this year, it's going to cover a swath of the Midwest and Southeast.
Cicadas are large, flying insects that look intimidating, but they are not interested in people and spend their adult lives focusing only on reproduction. Often emerging in large numbers, they have a habit of congregating on window screens, cars, driveways, fences, handrails, and tree trunks. In a dual cicada brood year like 2024, their ubiquitous presence can make them a nuisance, but cicadas cannot bite or sting. They may buzz by, which can startle people, but they are harmless.
Cicadas are known for the loud noise they make all day and into the night. Males call out to females and the volume can reach remarkable, even deafening levels. The waves of sound create a background noise frequently associated with summer.
Populations of cicadas are enormous in order to ensure reproduction happens. Cicadas are food for a variety of birds, small mammals, and other insects. Dogs may even occasionally taste one. Because they are a sought-after nutritious snack, they reproduce in astounding numbers to allow some adults to survive long enough to mate.
Females lay eggs in branches, which then drop to the ground allowing the larvae to burrow underground for the winter. Some cicada species return every year, others stay underground for years or decades before emerging to molt into adult form. As adults grow larger, they leave behind brown, crunchy shells of exoskeleton. In summertime, it is common to find these empty shells clinging to walls, grass, or other objects.
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* MAP NOTES: The territorial heat map above showcases (in red) the states and territories of North America where the Cicada may be found (but is not limited to). This sort of data is useful when attempting to see concentrations of particular species across the continent as well as revealing possible migratory patterns over a species' given lifespan. Some insects are naturally confined by environment, weather, mating habits, food resources and the like while others see widespread expansion across most, or all, of North America. States/Territories shown above are a general indicator of areas inhabited by the Cicada. Insects generally go where they please, typically driven by diet, environmental changes, and / or mating habits.