The most common cicadas are actually more often heard than seen. These are the annual or dog day cicadas. These insects emerge all over the United States, but are generally more common the farther south you go. They occur in broods, or year-classes, but they overlap so that there are cicadas present every summer. An adult, like all cicadas, lives only a few weeks, but emergences are staggered so that cicadas are present from about mid-June to as late as early October.
Annual cicadas are large and robust.
They vary greatly in color and size. Wing vein coloration varies from species to species, but is usually green or brown. There are many species of annual cicada, each having its own characteristic call. Females lay eggs by using a blade-like ovipositor, or egg tube, to slit twigs and deposit eggs in the resulting crease. Nymphs hatch about six weeks later, burrow into the ground, and suck on tree roots for generally 3 to 5 years before resurfacing and becoming adults.