This is Brodie with Illinois Extension and I’m here with a new “voice of the wild” This cicada is active from July through September and sings a song that waivers in the heat of the day. They tend to stay high in the canopy of deciduous trees, but if you find one nearer to the ground you can look at their wing as an identifying trait; the leading edge will have a strong bend near the center. This is Linne’s cicada. When shedding the exoskeleton they used underground, cicadas can appear very strange. Bright, even neon colors shine through as their soft body and unfurling wings cure in the night air. My favorite insect website soundsofinsects.com says Linne’s cicada’s form at this fragile part of their life is particularly colorful. Should you miss this brief show, you can always listen for the male’s song which fades into a wavering crescendo before slowing down to a buzzy crawl. Here’s Linne’s cicada again. Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW