July 17 Sidewalk Cicada

This is a dogday cicada, aka Tibicen canicularis. I found this one on the sidewalk, not moving, and not singing the high-pitched droning note that males have begun singing now that the July heat has settled on Madison and the afternoon light is waning every so slightly. These cicadas, when adult, emerge every year and in late summer will insert eggs directly into tree twigs. The nymphs though will hatch and then burrow into the ground where they live for four to eight years before returning to the light as an adult cicada. They produce the high electrical hum sound by vibrating tymbals on the sides of their abdomen which resonate into a cavity and amplify sound outward. The sound is impressive and tells that the dogdays of summer are here.