Family: Cicadidae, Cicadas view all from this family

Description The Putnam’s Cicada is a member of the family Cicadidae. These large insects, 1-2 3/8" (25-60 mm) long, have membranous wings; the fore pair are twice the length of the hind pair. Males have sound-producing organs below the base of the abdomen. Although sometimes called locusts, cicadas are nonjumpers, unlike grasshoppers and crickets. They are usually seen emerging or flying from empty nymphal skins that may hang by the thousands from trees during July and August after the large adults have emerged. Each species has its own buzz or a pulsating clacking sound. Some species, primarily eastern, have life cycles of 13 or 17 years. Most of this time is spent as subterranean nymphal stages feeding on the roots of trees that they later climb as adults. More commonly the nymphal period is 1-3 years.