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Source:
Cicada Mania: Dedicated to cicadas, the most amazing insects in the world. Retrieved from https://www.cicadamania.com/
阿隆 (2010) 蟬的一生 Retrieved from
How Cicadas Grow
Do you dislike the sound of cicadas? Honestly, I like it. Every time I hear the sound of cicadas, it makes me notice that the exciting summer is coming. Maybe you sometimes are bothered by the noise of cicadas. But once you dig into the mysterious world of cicadas, you will find that cicadas’ life is more amazing than you can imagine. The growing process of cicadas is divided into three stages, including eggs, nymphs, and adults. By those stages, cicadas complete their legendary life within a few years.
At the very beginning, cicadas begin their life cycle as a rice-shaped egg. The cicadas’ childhood is spent in the tree hole. The female cicadas will try their best to search a steady and adequate groove to be their shelter. Most of the time, female cicadas use the tree hole as the best place because the tree limb will provide the tree fluids as larvae’s nourishment. The eggs will live in the tree hole for roughly ten months. As time goes on, eggs will hatch gradually. What makes people sad is that after laying eggs, larvae’s parents will die one after another.
Next, cicadas will continue their life in the shape of nymphs. Once cicadas hatch from eggs, they will start to take tree fluids as their food. After cicadas prepare well, they will climb down the tree one by one. Moreover, some individuals even fall into the ground directly. There might be countless nymphs falling to death or eaten by ants. However, cicadas who survive through hardship will keep digging until they find the roots to feed on. Usually, nymphs will stay underground from 2 to 17 years which depends on the species.
Finally, cicadas show their final appearance by shelling and becoming adult cicadas. After continuing a long time of metamorphosis, nymphs emerge from the ground. Nymphs will climb the nearest tree and shed their exoskeleton. By getting rid of their old skin, they can start to flap their wings. Additionally, their new skin will be harder to protect them. In reality, this is the best moment of life for them. They can sing with delight and find another cicada to complete the mating ritual. It was worth waiting, even though it’s just a few weeks. After the baby is born, there is another life cycle to occur again.
In conclusion, it is not just easy for cicadas to completely grow through these three stages: eggs, nymphs, and adults. In fact, there might be a lot of problems for them to face, such as natural disasters and countless natural enemies. Therefore, the cicadas who can successfully survive through those difficulties are extremely outstanding. So next time if you see cicadas or hear their sound, please do not hurt them, and just stand there enjoying their chirping.
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