Cicada emerging from its pupal form
Hearing a constant buzzing outdoors this time of year? If it’s not road construction, it’s probably the cicadas. They derive their name from the Latin cicada, meaning “tree cricket”, but their means of sound production - using a “tymbal” on their thorax, rather than the rasping hind legs that crickets use - means that when a number of males get together to call mates, they can reach over 100 decibels. That’s as loud as a low-speed chainsaw, a jet engine at 1000 feet, or a motorcycle you’re riding.
There are large populations of cicadas that emerge only every 13 or 17 years in the United States, but both the US and Europe, there are also sizable populations of annual cicadas that come out every summer, and buzz at us until it’s cold enough to wear sweaters.
Brehms Tierleben, Allgemeine Kunde des Tierreichs. Dr. Otto zur Strassen, 1915.