Species · GBIF taxon 8687704
Bush Cicada
Neotibicen dorsatusAlso known as Giant Grassland Cicada
Bush cicadas are impressive, robust insects celebrated for their loud, dry, rattling songs that define late summer afternoons in North American prairies. These giants spend several years underground as nymphs, feeding on root sap before emerging to transform into winged adults. Their striking black, brown, and green patterns provide excellent camouflage against the bark of shrubs and tall grassland stems.
LoudGrasslandCamouflaged
Licensed referencexpda / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
- diet
- Plant sap from roots and woody stems
- family
- Cicadidae
- threats
- Habitat destruction, pesticide application, and urban sprawl
- life Span
- 3 to 5 years
LC
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- Listen for the song: Locate males by following their dry, rattling buzz, which peaks during the hottest hours of the day.
- Look on low shrubs: Search the stems of woody plants and tall grasses rather than high tree canopy branches.
- Handle gently: Let them walk freely on your hand, but avoid squeezing them to prevent a startled pinch.