Buzzing with Excitement: Top 10 Fun and Fascinating Facts About Cicadas You Never Knew!

1. Cicada Backyard Party Performers

If the thought of cicadas hosting a backyard party with their exclusive buzz tunes and a rib-tickling performance has you slightly jealous, wait till you hear how they put those party skills to use: Male cicadas attract females by using their rib buckling abilities to create loud vibrations on a membrane similar to a gong, reaching sound levels so intense that they can outdo human summer barbecues, all while inspiring researchers to replicate their sounds for underwater communication and other applications.
Source => sciencedaily.com

2. Rivaling Lawn Mowers in Buzzing Concerts

While cicadas may not be the harmonious Simon and Garfunkel of the insect world, they certainly know how to make a racket in their own right: using a special structure called a tymbal, these solo buzzing artists can generate a series of clicks that combine to produce a sound as loud as a lawn mower at 90 decibels, although not quite reaching the impressive 100-decibel mark.
Source => prevention.com

Did you know fireflies produce “icky-tasting” chemicals that deter predators, and some female fireflies even consume males of other species to gain extra protection for their offspring? Get ready to be fascinated!

=> Fun Facts about Fireflies

3. Prime Number Enthusiasts with Hide-and-Seek Skills

Cicadas aren't just nature's little musicians; they're also prime number enthusiasts with excellent hide-and-seek skills: These fascinating insects appear in synchronized groups called broods every 13 or 17 years, a peculiar evolutionary tactic to outsmart predators and prevent them from syncing up their life cycles.
Source => nature.com

4. 17-Year Underground Rave Comeback

Party like it's 2004, because cicadas are about to make a noisy comeback after a 17-year underground rave: Upwards of 1.5 million cicadas per acre are predicted to emerge in parts of Southwest Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia, treating humans to an ear-splitting concert while causing egg-laying mayhem in orchids, vines, and trees.
Source => cnn.com

5. Patiently Waiting Cicada Buffet Line

A line of hungry critters snaking around the cicada buffet, gossiping about the 17-year wait—now that's dedication to a grub spot: Cicadas serve a crucial role in ecosystems by supplying vital nourishment to various animals and enhancing soil health through their tunnel-digging escapades.
Source => h-o-m-e.org

6. Serenading Cicada Sweethearts

Smooth operators of the insect world, cicadas use their built-in instruments to serenade their sweethearts like cricket-crooning Casanovas: Male cicadas attract females by utilizing specialized body structures called timbals to play calling songs, transitioning to courtship songs once a female approaches. Mating involves a well-choreographed dance of their wings and can last an impressive 35.33 ± 5.88 minutes.
Source => academic.oup.com

7. The Humongous Cicada Web

Forget the itsy-bitsy spider, it's the humongous cicada that'll have you caught in its web of fascination: The Megapomponia imperatoria, found in southeast Asia, boasts an impressive wingspan of up to 20 cm/7.9 inches, reigning as the largest known cicada species, while the Bear Cicada of Japan (Cryptotympana facialis), Tacua speciosa from southeast Asia, and the Northern Dusk-Singing Cicada (Megatibicen auletes) in North America follow closely behind in the big league.
Source => cicadamania.com

8. Molting Margarita Aftermath

Like audacious partygoers who've had one too many molting margaritas and left their clothes all over town, cicadas have a knack for making their presence known: These fascinating insects undergo a unique metamorphosis, shedding their exoskeletons and leaving an enigmatic trail of abandoned shells clinging to trees or scattered across forest floors as they embrace their exciting winged adulthood.
Source => prevention.com

9. Cicada Prime: Nature's Delivery Service

These humble insects are nature's own delivery service, with a special "Cicada Prime" that provides essential nutrients right to your backyard trees: cicadas, in fact, play an important role in the ecosystem by providing food for various animals and contributing to tree growth, all while causing minimal damage to their environment.
Source => news.vanderbilt.edu

10. Cicadas: Nature's Smoothie-Straw Earth-Nectar Sippers

Nature's smoothie-straws got nothing on cicadas, who suck sap straight from tree roots in pursuit of underground earth-nectar: These insects use their straw-like mouths to feed on plant juices, aerating the soil and recycling nutrients by releasing nitrogen upon their death, ultimately beautifying our ecosystem and promoting growth where they reside.
Source => madisonsquarepark.org