Cicadas are cool, and tattoos can be pretty cool too. Take a took at Sandy Herder’s new cicada tattoo. Awesome.
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Month: July 2009
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Life in the Undergrowth
I just finished watching the BBC mini-series Life in the Undergrowth staring several million invertebrates and David Attenborough. (I watched it in between the picnics, fireworks, and swimming that mostly occupies my time.) Fans of cicadas and land-dwelling invertebrates will love this show. Attenborough is the best when it comes to explaining the natural world to TV viewers.
BBC thoughtfully put the segment of the show about 17 year cicadas on YouTube.
I like the bit when he lures the male around by imitating the wing flicks of females.
You can buy it in the usual places, or rent it of course.
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Time for the yearly Neotibicen post
The Tibicen is the genus of annual cicada most people are familiar with.
Here are some general details about Tibicen:
- They emerge every summer. They do not emerge in broods.
- They emerge in small numbers (small relative to periodical cicadas).
- They are timid and elusive compared to periodical cicadas.
- Most are physically larger than periodical cicadas.
- They are well camouflaged: their colors and patterns of colors help to hide them in their surroundings. They look like little military vehicles, IMHO.
- Colloquial names for Tibicens: August Dry Birds, Dog Day cicadas, Harvest Flies, Jar Flies, Bush Cicada (Tibicen dorsatus, formerly T. dorsata)
Some cool Tibicen posts and pages you should check out:
- Cicada researcher Kathy Hill’s photo of 18 different Tibicen species.
- It is possible to identify Tibicen just after they have molted: a visual tool to identify freshly molted Tibicens by Paul Krombholz
- Tibicen anatomy page (offsite link).
- All Neotibicen posts on this website.
An image from Roy Troutman:
Tibicen tibicen (T. chloromerus, T. chloromera)
