Dog Days Cicada

[LenHarris]

Found this perched on my tent this morning. Love to identify insect visitors.




Tibicen cicadas are 1-2 inches long, with characteristic green, brown, and black markings on the top of the thorax, and tented, membranous wings extending past the abdomen. The fore pair are about twice the length of the hind pair. Males produce loud calls in the afternoon or evening (depending on the species) to attract females. These sounds, distinctive for each species, are produced by organs below the abdomen's base. These calls range from a loud buzz to a long rattling sound. Adults feed using their beak to tap into the xylem of plants. Nymphs feed from the xylem of roots.

~Wikipedia

[jpbfly]

Great pic and interesting comment Len...our cicadas are all black and bigger...the abdomen of this one is amazinly shortI often see birds chasing them in the garden,funny to see sparrows attacking such big insects

[stl_geoff]

the black and orange ones are a different specie. Last fall I believe, they both hatched at the same time. There were MILLIONS of those things around. It was so loud in my backyard my dogs couldnt hear me call for them. It was damn near deafining in some places. I took some videos of it and they are just all over the place.

[okuma]

The 2012 Cicada infestation will be small, limited to Virginia and West Virginia. Following last year's huge Southern Brood hatch, it is good that most areas get a break from these noisy pests.

The 2012 Cicada emergence is from Brood I. This brood has a 17 year life cycle. Again, it will affect Virginia and West Virginia.

[mcnerney]

Len: Great photo!

[madjoni]

Originally Posted by jpbfly

...our cicadas are all black and bigger...

Same here...and very noisy creatures