Family Cicadidae

Have you seen any hollow bugs hanging on to tree trunks this summer? You know, the ones that are fun to stick on friends’ shirts? These hollow bugs are actually the skins shed by cicadas after they’ve become adults. Adult cicadas sing in a continuous buzz that gets louder, then dies off at the end. Some species sing in the middle of the day and others at night. The males’ calls often stimulate other males to call; the purpose of all this calling is to attract females for mating.

Cicada call (92k, requires RealPlayer 8 or higher)

Cool Link:

Cicada Hunt! - Kid-friendly site with lots of photos lets you follow two young boys on a hunt for cicadas. Includes things to do, "Cicada Mysteries" to solve, and a nifty list of cicada links.  Part of the Salt the Sandbox Web site.

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photo: Mike Dunn