Word: cicada
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...dying act, an adult female cicada creates the next generation, laying 400 to 600 eggs inside a slender tree branch by cutting small slits in it with her ovipositor, an organ that works like a saw. Six to 10 weeks later, the eggs hatch, and nymphs fall to the ground...
...deafening shrill that can be heard almost a mile away is the mating cry of the male cicada. His instrument is called a tymbal, which produces a popping sound in his hollow abdomen. Males from each of the three Brook X species have their own song. One sounds like pha-roah, another makes a sizzling noise, and the last--and rarest--makes a rhythmic call that sounds like a lawn sprinkler...
...BENEFITS Cicadas do not sting or bite, and they are not poisonous. The insects don't eat much, and healthy trees can actually benefit from the pruning that takes place when branches die from the hundreds of slits the females cut to lay eggs. On the ground, cicada exit holes aerate the soil...
NUISANCES Aside from the noise and later the smell from the piles of dead insects, there is some evidence that cicada root sucking can restrict tree growth. And if you were planning to hold an outdoor wedding this month, you may want to reschedule it or move it indoors
GOOD EATIN' They're filled with protein, and people say they taste like cold asparagus. But most of Brood X will end up providing a smorgasbord for a variety of wild creatures, including songbirds, snakes and spiders. The cicada's primary defense is its vast numbers. Predators can gorge all they want, but they'll make only a dent in the cicada population...