Dog-Day Cicadas

Annual Cicadas (Genus Tibicen) are often known as Dog-day cicadas because they appear in the "dog days" of July and August. Michelle found this cicada on July 14 during our group hike in Kanawha State Forest, and it's the first cicada I had seen this year.  It is most likely Tibicen canicularis, which is sometimes called the Dog-day Harvestfly.

Cicadas are found almost worldwide (everywhere except Antarctica), and they're in one of two families:  Tettigarctidae (limited to Australia and Tasmania) and the much more common Cicadidae.  They are not related to locusts (swarming grasshoppers), but many people call them locusts mistakenly.

Unlike the 13 and 17-year cicadas, annual cicadas have only a 2-3 year life cycle underground.  And because of overlapping "generations", we see them every year.

Image retrieved from City-Data.com

Over the next few weeks, you might also see the ground-dwelling Cicada-Killing Wasps ( Genus Sphecius).   Image retrieved from City-Data.com





Other photos from the hike in Kanawha (locals seem to pronounce it can-ahh) State Forest:

The whole group:

Cayla with two big crayfish and a big leaf from a streamside Umbrella Tree (Magnolia tripetala).