Nebraskaland

40 Nebraskaland • August-September 2023 D uring the dog days of late summer, the reverberating call of the scissors grinder cicada (Neotibicen pruinosus) begins late in the afternoon and continues into dusk. Emanating from high in the trees, individual calls initiate softly and build to a loud, shrill, "WHEE-oo WHEE-oo" crescendo lasting about 20 seconds. Sometimes, it's a lone call; other times, it's a cacophony, an apparent horde singing in a shrieking chorus. Some find the call a beautiful sound of nature, a fond tradition of summer; others find it as annoying as the neighbor's broken-down, muffler-less lawn mower. Blame the male scissors grinder for making all the noise. The insect is so named because in days gone by the call reminded people of the sound of scissors being sharpened on a grinding wheel. The call is his means of wooing a female with which to mate. The scissors grinder is the 2-inch-long, thick, green-bodied, bulging-eyed insect that you sometimes see on sidewalks or in the grass below trees. When disturbed, they often buzz their wings, spinning their bodies, before taking off in erratic, apparently drunken, flight. More commonly encountered are the telltale exoskeletons left on tree trunks and branches by scissors grinder nymphs as they molt into adults. Nebraska Cicadas Roughly 3,000 species of cicada are known worldwide, a staggering number that makes Nebraska's cicada fauna, 22 species of annual cicada and 2 species of 17-year cicada (see sidebar on page 41), seem impoverished. Besides the scissors grinder, our other annual species include the southern grass cicada, bush cicada, lyric cicada and plains dog-day cicada. Some are woodland species, while others are grassland species. They range from common and fairly widely-distributed to rare with a limited range in our state. The scissors grinder is our most common annual cicada, inhabiting rural and urban deciduous woodlands throughout much of eastern Nebraska and extending westward along wooded river valleys. The Walker's cicada is another common annual cicada sharing roughly the same range and habitat with the scissors grinder. Although nearly identical in appearance, the species are easily distinguished by their calls. The Walker's call is louder: a pulsing, droning "jeeb-jeeb-jeeb-jeeb" rasp. An internet search will provide recordings of the calls of these species and others. The Life Cycle Like all annual cicada, a scissors grinder's life begins when a nymph emerges from an egg, which in this case, was laid in a tree. The tiny hatchling drops from the tree and burrows into the ground in search of a tree root from which it will suck sap. The nymph lives underground for three to five years, molting several times before digging its way out of the soil, leaving a half-inch exit hole near a tree. Unlike 17-year Recently-emerged scissors grinder adults have light green and gold bodies. Mature scissors grinder adults have a mostly dark green body with a white stripe on the side.

• Cover