One species of Cicada and one species of the petit Cicadetta also occur here. The eyes, legs and margins of the wings are orange. Periodical cicadas sing and fly in spring whereas other species of cicadas usually sing and fly during the summer. In late May or early June, the nymphs eventually crawl to the trunk of a tree or some other object and cling there. Soon the insect molts into the winged adult stage, leaving behind the cast skin.
Males begin to sing with a shrill buzzing noise to attract females.
After mating, females use their sawlike ovipositors to split open the bark of hardwood twigs and insert eggs in two rows. The nymphs feed on the roots of many kinds of trees. Farming and urbanization of suitable habitats have reduced the populations of many cicadas, and it is thought that some broods of the 13 and 17 year cicadas may be extinct. Broods of the periodical cicadas that will appear in the next few years include Brood I that will emerge in the foothills in the spring of 1995. Brood II will cover about the same area in 1996.