Cicadas Stock Image

Oklahoma is home to twelve species of Cicadas. Each year they emerge from their underground hideouts, mate and then die. Different species have different life cycles. Most live from two to eight years underground. Oklahoma is also home to a species with a seventeen year life cycle. The deafening call is made only by the male cicada and is to attract females. The sound is created by the rapid beating of wings against the cicadas` abdomen. The mature nymphs will emerge on hot summer nights and attach to a wall or tree while they molt their last skin. When they emerge from the hardened skin they are pale and soft. It takes several hours to harden like the rest of it`s body. By the time the cicada is ready to take air it will have the familiar green and black colorings.