Wildlife Wednesday 08/27/2025

Bzzzzzzzzz. Happy #WildlifeWednesday. 

The dog-day cicada, also referred to as a harvestfly, is an annual cicada found in North America whose peak singing occurs when the star Sirius is prominent in the night sky. This hot and humid time of year is often referred to as the “dog days of summer.”

Its song is reminiscent of a buzz saw, the high-pitched whining drone starting softly then growing louder to about 7kHz, then tapering off. The singing is produced by exoskeletal structures called tymbals, which vibrate rapidly to make the sound. This is different from crickets and grasshoppers, whose sound is a result of stridulation, or the rubbing together of body parts. Only the male cicadas sing, to attract a female, and the buzz can be heard up to a half mile away.

Coloration of the dog-day cicada is variable but tends towards mostly dark brown or black with green markings on the body. Its membranous wings also have green coloration in the veins, particularly near their base.

The preferred habitat is mixed or deciduous woods, and they are frequently found in pine forests. Freshly emerged adults can be found near the ground and in low vegetation, while mature adults may be high in the treetops.