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Not an Alien - Frank Johnson
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There are two predictable events in August, cicada appearance and the emergence of their photographers. Frank Johnson started this year's cycle with his dramatic photograph above of cicada eclosing, looking like it came out of a space movie. Most species are green the first few hours, darkening as the air dry their wings and bodies.
Next Su Lyn Rogers sent me this beauty. When she initially found it on a 10 PM dog walk, it was a
newly-emerged cicada crawling on the sidewalk. She says:"Under
the porch light, I could see that it was still wearing some of the soil
from its underground stage that had lasted for at least two years. I
recorded some videos, then left it outside on a birdhouse on my bench
intending to check on its progress later."
She sent this video as it crawled around, looking for a place to eclose.
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Freshly eclosed - Su Lyn Rogers
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When she returned later it had completed molting. MDC Discover Nature has descriptions of the different annual species which we can't identify with this fresh specimen until it dries out.
These are called annual cicada as they appear every August and September, unlike the 13 and 17 year periodic
cicada which get all the glory in the press. This however is deceiving as the life
cycle of an individual is over two to five years.
Also known as "dog day cicadas" they are members of the genus Tibicen,
named for their abundance in late August through September in the
hottest times. They make a buzzing sound when they take off on short
flights when disturbed and create a loud grating sound when held. Only
the males sing and each species has a distinctive sound, giving them
names like "buzz saw" and "scissor grinder" which you can hear at this link.
Like their periodic cousins, they lay their eggs on twigs and the larvae emerge, leap off
into space and land on the ground where they dig in. They then burrow
into roots to suck sap for the next few years until they mature and
emerge, crawling up a tree or post and hanging on tight while the adult
emerges and flies off, leaving the empty shell of dried skin to puzzle
or delight a lucky child. These cicada appear to be annual because each
year some are emerging and mating.
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Cicada Killer - Larry Wegmann
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They are soft and juicy when they first emerge, hardening over 30 minutes. As they hang on trees they are vulnerable to a specialized predator, the cicada killer wasps. This is Sphecius specious, the largest wasp in North America. Although fearsome in appearance, it saves its sting for a cicada to haul off to feed its young as described
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Copperhead fast food - Charlton McDaniel in Tulsa World
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Cicada's also face another predator, copperhead snakes. They will climb trees to find these tasty morsels. This blog has more information and these incredible photos like the one above from the Tulsa World are worth a visit.
