Go Find It!

In 2024, millions of 13-year periodical cicadas will emerge in late April across Missouri. Adults will stick around through June. For more on these noisy bugs, visit mdc.mo.gov/field-guide.

Periodical Cicada

Buried Babies

Baby periodical cicadas, called nymphs, live underground. Some species stay buried for 13 years, others for 17 years.

Let’s Split

When the time’s right, a nymph crawls out of the ground, its exoskeleton splits open, a winged adult wiggles out, and the crunchy shell gets left behind.

Raising a Ruckus

To attract a mate, males flex drumlike organs on their tummies to create a loud hum. When thousands “sing” together, the drone is deafening.

I Came, I Sawed, I Laid Eggs

Female cicadas use a sawlike structure on their tails to slit open twigs and lay eggs inside.

Periodical vs. Annual

Periodical cicadas have black bodies and red eyes. Annual cicadas, seen every year in July and August, have green bodies and dark eyes.