We often say that summer is always the sound of cicadas and frogsThe chirping of cicadas tends to fill the summer heatBy the end of summer and early fall, you might see the dead cicada on the ground, which chirped throughout the summer, and now it's so quiet.
The chirping of cicadas in summer.
Do you know how short the life cycle of a cicada is? The answer is: YesIt will not take more than three months after becoming an adult
The cicada shell that faded before its death, it is commonly calledCicada moltIt is a good medicine for a sore throat
The small cicada, but it has a good medicinal value, which makes people pay a little respect.
The way cicadas grow and reproduce is also amazing, do you know the development and growth process of cicadas? How did it manage to "sojourn" on the trunk of a tree in the first place? What kind of relocation will take place? What "skills" does it have?
Why do cicadas lay their eggs in trees but emerge from the ground? When the soil is broken, where does the soil go? All of this needs to start with the reproduction process of cicadas.
The life of the cicada. When the breeding season comes, after the female and male cicadas have successfully mated, the female cicada will use her sharp needle-like ovipositor to cut through the bark of the branches, and discharge the rice-like cicada eggs into a certain area of the tree trunk to complete the spawning on the tree.
The female cicada is also very intelligent, and she chooses to lay her eggs on young branches with thinner and softer trunks, allowing her eggs to attach to them to absorb nutrients from the branches.
The cicada eggs gradually develop through the full absorption of nutrients, spend the winter on the branches, and grow in the summer of the following yearNymphs, entering the second stage of life - cicada larvae.
The nymph resembles an ant, hence the nameCicada ants
The cicada on the leaves is preparing to lay eggs.
Because the nutrients of the original "branch habitat" have been depleted, the nymph needs a new habitat to provide nutrients, and to complete its final morphological development, it needs to complete the relocation from the tree to the tree through external forces (such as wind, rain, natural shedding of the bark) or its own efforts.
When it comes to creatures that lay eggs on trees, it's not just cicadas that are strange, tree frogs that lived in trees when they were children are also an example.
Tree frogsIsn't it amazing that they lay eggs on the leaves above the water, and as the liquefied follicles are washed away by the rain, the tadpoles slide from the leaves of the trees into the pond and grow into small frogs.
Red-eyed tree frog.
Cicada larvae that have just arrived on the ground are very fragile, and what they need to do is to burrow into the soil immediately to find the roots of the trees, and continue to absorb nutrients to grow into adults.
And once a suitable underground settlement is found, the nymph will start a "secret cultivation plan" for several years or even more than ten years.
Interestingly, the amount of time nymphs spend underground is usually3 years, 5 years, 7 yearsIt seems that scientists can study such prime numbers.
The nymph's life in the underground is a long and boring process, and it grows like an underground laborer, digging its own burrows as it goes deeper.
In this process, the cicada ant's shell changes from soft to hard, from light to dark.
A cicada with a dark shell.
Although digging a hole is a painstaking process, after observation, it will be found that the cicada actually knows how to save effort.
They usually don't dig their burrows too deep so that they don't experience much gravity.
And the nymphs of the cicadas will chooseDig a burrow in a place where the roots of the tree are intricate, so the soil lions in these places are relatively soft.
They also choose to burrow when it is wet and rainy, which is why we see that the young cicadas in the ground are always covered in mud.
Nymphs inhabit the ground for several years or moreuntil they have a hard exoskeleton and wings, and one evening, they will break through the ground and see again.
The small hole in the ground that is not easy to find is actually their nest.
There are many experts in nature who are good at burrowing, such as rats, snakes, and ants who like to burrow like cicada larvae, and crabs and fathead fish in the sea.
With the help of their own digging tools, such as claws and teeth, they dig their own little world in the ground and in the mud and sand, and they don't want to be disturbed and live a leisurely life, butMost of the animals that like to burrow are not very good at eyesight
The little crab is building its own "safe house".
So when the adult breaks through the soil, what about the soil that has been dug out?
As mentioned above, the larvae of cicadas will choose to be inCaves are built in loose soilThe large gaps between the soils reduce the amount of work required to dig the soil and provide space for the larvae to expand and move forward.
At the same time, its body secretes a viscous sap that is derived from the sap obtained by the larvae from the roots of trees.
It will take the sap along with the shaved mudand into a slurry, smeared on the walls of the tunnel, canStrengthen the cave to prevent it from collapsingrole.
In addition, the mud easily penetrates into the cracks of the soil, so there is no need to worry about the soil being cut out to block the passage of the larval burrow.
Ants are working together to build burrows.
So is it true that the soil dug out by the larvae will not be discovered at all?
Actually, no, you can only find a little bit at the place where you exit the holeFloating soilWith the action of the wind, this little bit of floating soil will also disappear very quickly.
So this part of the floating soil that was dug out by the larvae of the cicada, actuallyIt has become the "cement" for building homes, which is not wasted but is fully utilized.
The intricate design of the cave also helps it resist the invasion of other creatures and avoid the sun and rain, so it can be said that the cicada is an excellent engineer in the animal kingdom.
Excellent engineer in the animal kingdom.
In the underworld, in addition to cicada larvae creating burrows for themselves, there are also ants and other insects.
Someone will askDo ants eat cicada larvae？If you are breeding cicada ants (i.e., cicada larvae), in the process of hatching eggs and scattering cicada ants, it is indeed necessary to exterminate the ants.
In nature, cicada larvae usually burrow up to 2-3 meters deep, and some industrious larvae dig deeper, generally deeper than ant nests, soThe two are not easy to meet
Ants and cicadas have different habits.
Some people say that if you catch the cicada, you will catch the whole summer.
The silence and tempering of the cicada in the ground, after years and months, can only be thereJust three monthsLoud chirping, chattering, and finally dying cold in the autumn wind, which is moving.
However, in daily life, it is difficult for us to sympathize with the cicada, because it is too noisy, if the buzzing of mosquitoes ranks first, then the noise of cicadas can be ranked second, why are cicadas so noisy?
The chirping of cicadas accompanied us throughout the summer.
The cicada's life has been experiencedEggs, larvae, adultsIn the three stages, the cicadas in the larval stage stay underground for several years or even more than ten years, in order to attract females and complete mating in the summer.
SoThe chirping of cicadas is a courtship behavior of males, and try to express yourself in a limited time, so that you are more likely to win the favor of females, obtain the right to mate, and reproduce the species.
Female cicadas do not chirp, so they are called "dumb cicadas".
The male cicada's call comes from the vocal apparatus in its abdominal muscles, which resembles a large drum with a layer of eardrum, and makes a sound when it is shaken.
Because the sound muscle can expand and contract about 10,000 times per second, and the gap between the cover plate and the tympanic membrane is empty, which can play a resonant role, its sound is particularly loud and penetrating, and it can be transmitted up to a kilometer away.
The praying mantis catches the cicada, and the yellow finch is behind.
Although the cicada is noisy and disturbing, its value should not be underestimated.
Cicadas are one of a kindHigh in protein and very low in fatMeat food, just like some people will eat grasshoppers and cicada pupa.
These shelled insects, when properly cooked, can likewise be a delicacy on the table.
Cicadas are typically made in deep frying and have a crispy texture.
Compared with livestock meat, green foods such as cicadas are not only more low-carbon and environmentally friendly in processing, but also have a higher protein content than ordinary meat (up to 70% or more).
Deep-fried knows. The shell of the cicada feathering is calledCicada moltIt is a traditional Chinese medicine that blindly solves the surface and has certain medicinal value.
The cicada molt is very light and not easy to transport, so it is relatively high.
It can**Wind-heat, cold, sore throat, can dispel wind and stop spasms
In rural areas, people often pick up cicadas and sell them for money, and in summer, have you ever picked up cicadas under the trees, and you don't know which golden cicada has come out of its shell.
A cicada shedding its shell.
The larvae of cicadas live underground for years or even decades, and then pupate on the branches, break out of their shells and become cicadas.
Its life course was short, but it was shortRepeatedly, endlesslyIt symbolizes the persistence of life and the pursuit of ideals and beliefs.
In ancient times, people used jade cicadas as accessories to express noble aspirations; When used as a funeral jade, it means that the spirit is immortal and will last forever.
The cicada's lifelong love of chirping, clear and passionate but tireless, some people say that it is".If you don't make a sound, it's a blockbuster
The silence before the feather is only for the wonderful bloom after seeing the light of day.
Even if life is only a short moment, it is necessary to send out the final swan song.
At the end of his life, he was still singing about the hot summer.
We have cicadas in our livesEndure loneliness and calm downThe character should also have cicadasDare to face and overcome obstaclesof courage.