Megan's Nature Nook
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If you’ve been outside the past few weeks you’ve probably noticed a buzzing sound coming from the trees that sounds like a high-pitched, far off chainsaw. No, it’s not your neighbors down the road doing some yard maintenance, but instead, cicadas singing away! Cicadas are insects ¾ - 2 ¼ inches long varying in color from black, brown, or green with red, white, or blue eyes. Cicadas are only found in the eastern half of the United States and make their appearance late June through August. They’re known for the loud noise they make, which is mostly males singing to attract females. Each species has their own unique song. To make their unique buzzing sound, cicadas vibrate the tymbals, which are drum-like organs in their abdomen, and the sound resonates in their mostly hollow abdomen. Some cicadas can be heard up to a mile away! The loudest cicada in North America is the Megatibicen pronotalis walker whose song can reach 105.9 decibels. For comparison, a snowmobile or motorcycle are measured at 100 decibels. Cicadas have a very interesting life cycle. After mating, females will lay around 20 rice-shaped eggs in a groove that she made in a tree limb. The eggs will hatch in 6-10 weeks and the young, or nymphs, will crawl from the groove and fall to the ground. They will then dig into the ground to find roots and feed on tree fluids in the roots. The nymphs spend 2-17 years underground, depending on their species. They will go through five growth cycles; each stage called an instar. After 2-17 years the nymphs will emerge from the ground and climb to the nearest tree. There it will shed its exoskeleton, its wings will inflate, and the adult skin will harden. Adults live for 2-6 weeks and spend their time in trees looking for mates. There are three different life cycle types for cicadas:
Annual – emerge every year Periodical – all emerge together after long periods of time, some up to 17 years! Proto-periodical – may emerge every year, every few years emerge in large numbers Cicada Fun Facts:
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