by Cindy Walker Burton

If you don’t see them, you can certainly hear them. Cicada season is in full swing here in Northwest Missouri. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, cicada nymphs spend 2-5 years underground drinking tree sap and emerge in July or August as winged adults. Only males “sing” using abdominal organs called tymbals. The females can only hum (just kidding). Cicadas are harmless to humans and have no stingers (yay!). Their mouth parts are used for piercing plant tissue (not people tissue). These hard-bodied insects are an important food supply for birds, reptiles, and mammals. See ya later cicada!