Cicadas

Some of us in the US are accustomed to hearing the loud chirping of crickets at dusk on a warm summer's eve, but in Sydney, it's the cicadas you hear causing the ruckus and not just in the evening, but in the morning, afternoon, mid-day and at night. 

From October to mid-December, which is the end of spring and the beginning of summer, the cicadas never take a rest or give us one from their constant high-pitched buzzing, squawking, and clicking noises, which males make to attract females.    

Cicadas belong to the insect order Homoptera, which identifies them as 'true bugs.'  

The most commonly found adult cicada in Sydney is the Greengrocer. They are full-bodied bugs with broad heads, transparent veined wings, and large compound eyes. They can be green, yellow, or blue.    

I found the cicada bug below lying on the ground while on a trip to Far North Queensland - dead but totally intact!

Although its fairy-like wings are green, it's not a Greengrocer.

If you can identify this cicada bug species, comment below, and I will credit you.

Cicadas are infamous for their earsplitting mating calls, which many people mistake for crickets, katydids, and locusts; however, calls from the latter-mentioned insects are not as boisterous, and they are more related to grasshoppers which are from a different insect order.

Unlike some insects, cicadas don't bite, sting, or attack humans, pets, household gardens, or crops; however, they are not harmless.  

They feed on sap from various woody plants and trees, including eucalyptus trees, and lay eggs in the slits of tree branches; however, mature trees are not affected by this action because they can regrow new limbs - newly planted trees are vulnerable to damage.

Also, compared to similar bugs, cicadas are the loudest and can produce a sound reaching 90 to 100 decibels, damaging hearing.  

Some larger species of cicadas have mating calls that can reach 120 decibels or higher at close range.

A gunshot is 140 decibels!

Cicadas have organs called tymbals, membranes that vibrate quickly to create loud clicking sounds, attracting females as far as a mile away.  

Underbelly of a cicada

The intensity of their tone takes over the soundscape and wards off other male cicadas. It interferes with bird vocalization, making it difficult for birds to hunt in groups during the day.

Cicadas protect their eardrums (tympanals) from the noises they make by covering them with a short tendon.   

Cleaver!

Likewise, folks should cover their ears when they hear a blaring cicada chorus.  

Cicada sounds from outside the house.

One evening after Sunday dinner, we decided to walk off the meal.  

A well-defined hilly bush area is up the street from our house, perfect for an evening stroll. 

It is on a dead-end road with little or no traffic and is void of many homes, although a few sit atop hills hidden from view.

The second we opened our front door, the noisiness from the bugs overwhelmed us. 

It was like being serenaded by a full cicada orchestra.

I typically would not have taken that walk alone because the sun had started to set, and bush areas are habitats for many Aussie animals.  

As often as I have come to Sydney, I am still leery of coming face-to-face with animals I don't understand.

We reached the bush-lined road just a few minutes into the walk when I spotted several trees covered with cicada molts (exoskeletons) - evidence that many cicada nymphs had shed their skins.    

Cicada exoskeletons on a nearby tree

Aussie cicadas live as nymphs underground for 6-7 years or more before coming to the surface to molt and become adult bugs, leaving their skeleton (skins) behind, stuck to the wood surface.  

In North America, cicada nymphs are underground for 13 to 17 years. 

Cicada nymph

Earlier that day, I noticed a cicada nymph ready to shed and a couple of exoskeletons on our front garden fence.   

This is just one section of the fence - the cicada skins are actually scattered all along the wood slats. 

Exoskeleton closeup

After molting, it takes about 30 minutes before a new shell starts to harden, and its wings fill with blood so it can fly and find its voice!   

Once fully grown, they only live for about six weeks.

The mating calls grew louder as we walked along the bush-lined road and closer to the dead-end. 

Cicadas are known to call from high up in the trees, but that night it was as if the sound was coming from every direction.

We had stopped walking and stood in the dark, surrounded by bush, up a hill, on a narrow winding road, as the cicadas belted out their favorite tunes in their highest volume. 

It was impossible to talk over, so we turned back and headed home.

The following day the cicadas were still screaming.  

While walking the dog around the neighborhood oval, a city gardener approached me, saying, "Better take the blankets off the bed tonight because when the cicadas are this noisy, it's going to be hot!"

Apparently, cicadas love the heat and will rev up the chorus and crank out their loudest songs on hot days or nights.  

For me, this makes cicadas the sound of summer in Sydney.  

When it comes to men and women, the strong silent type may get the girl, but when it comes to the cicada bugs - clamoring for attention is the way to go!

Cicada ruckus, morning, noon, and night . . . 

Molts, skins, & exoskeletons stuck on trees and wooden fences. . .

Insects that can predict hot weather . . .

I am NOT in Kansas!

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