Cicada Season in Arizona

Go outside and listen, do you hear a buzzing/screeching sound in the trees?  That’s probably because it is cicada season, and the male cicada is making his presence known.  In my opinion, cicadas are one of the more interesting insects that I encounter.  Another term you may have heard in reference to cicada, is the locust.  Locusts are a form of grasshopper, and are not actually related to the cicada.  The only harm a cicada may cause to a human is annoyance from their loud buzzing (they can actually cause hearing loss if ever close enough to the human ear!”) and harm to crops etc.

What I find interesting about them is their life cycle.  The female/mother will lay her eggs in tree bark, they hatch, and the nymphs fall to ground and burrow.  It is underground that they will spend much of their lives feeding on roots.  They will eventually dig themselves out, find a tree or plant, and molt into an adult.  They can live anywhere from 2-17 years depending on the species.  That in itself is pretty amazing!

It’s convenient because I was able to get a picture of some molted cicadas on a tree by my home.  There are probably close to 30 molts just on one tree, no wonder why it is so noisy!