Observed in the Joppa Preserve, Great Trinity Forest in Dallas, Texas. This cicada was making a tremendous amount of noise, making locating him an easy proposition.

EDITOR’S NOTE (10-25-2013): It has recently been brought to my attention that this is likely a female cicada rather than a male. That would mean that this insect was not making the noise I reported hearing. I cannot remember enough about the original situation to explain my confusion.

Observations Details

CountyDallas
CityDallas
DateJun 10, 2012
Time of DayMidmorning
TemperatureHot (greater than 89°F/32°C)
WeatherClear
HabitatRecreation-Park
Type of BehaviorStationary
GenderFemale
MaturityAdult
ObserverChris Jackson

4 Replies to “Silver-bellied Cicada – The Sound of Summer”

  1. Hello Chris,

    The cicada shown on picture looks like female which is not making any sound. The reason is that the belly of the cicada shows not having opeing to make sound so that it won’t make any sound for dating. The male cicada shows big cross opening from left to right around chest area. I didn’t know that Dallas has population of cicads.

    Thank you for sharing your pictures. Wang

    1. Yes, I see your point. This does appear to be a female. I will update the entry to reflect that. It has been so long since I made this observation, that I cannot remember the exact conditions. I cannot explain why I believed this cicada was buzzing when I found it. Perhaps I heard buzzing on this tree that stopped as I approached, and then i just assumed this was the insect that had been making the noise. I just don’t know!

  2. This evening I discovered a Cicada-killer Wasp in my back yard (the strip of dirt at the back door of my apartment). I noticed the nest first: the red, more pebble-like mound of dirt, and the opening of the burrow that was built underneath a patch of monkey grass. I didn’t know how large Cicada-killers are, so when her head poked out of the burrow I thought it was a small lizard. When the rest came out – wings, dark body, yellow stripes on the abdomen – I knew what she was. I snapped a little video on my iPad.

    I’m tempted to sit out there all night in hopes of seeing her her flying home with a fatboy like that Silver-bellied Cicada in her undercarriage.

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