Quickly approaching are the “dog days” of summer – a period of some of the hottest days, typically around the second half of July. While most of us are trying to beat the heat, our cicadas emerge to sing the one and only song of their lives.
In the past year on the news, there’s been a lot of talk about the “double brood” emergence of 13- and 17-year periodical cicadas, causing the appearance of more cicadas than usual. We don’t have these periodical cicadas here in Minnesota – instead, we have annual cicadas that we see every year!
Despite their name, annual cicadas can live for more than a year – their average lifespan is about two to five years. They start as nymphs underground, where they primarily feast on pine and oak sap from roots. This can cause occasional issues in younger trees and shrubs, but more mature trees can tolerate the damage
After spending several years in their nymph stage, they’re ready for adulthood! This is the stage where most of us see cicadas in. They tend to emerge when the average soil temperature reaches over 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which averages to mid-July. They climb to the top of the tree canopy to search for a mate. They utilize a special organ, called a tymbal, that helps them sing that buzzy song we all know and love.
A cicada only spends three to four weeks in this adult stage, singing from the treetops. This time is a mad rush to mate and lay eggs before dying. These eggs hatch 6-10 weeks after being laid, where the nymphs fall back to the soil and begin to burrow underground in search of food. With time, they’ll be ready to sing us songs of future summers.

Author: Katherine Schramek – Naturalist Intern