A telltale sign of North Texas summer is the sound of cicadas. But what do they actually do?
By Ron Corning
September 29, 2026 at 5:02 AM CDT
Love it or hate it, the soundtrack of summertime in Texas has a backing track of buzzing cicadas.
Two cicadas found in Sam Kieschnick's backyard. Both are adults of different species, and died after only living for a few weeks. (1080x1350, AR: 0.8)
Sam Kieschnick is an urban wildlife biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife, who NTX Now has lovingly dubbed "Sam the Bug Man." He loves all things creepy crawly and cicadas are no exception.
He recently joined NTX Now host Ron Corning to explain that cicadas' role in our ecosystem goes beyond making chaotic music.
These interview highlights have been edited for length and clarity. To hear the conversation in full, click the 'listen' button above.
Lifespan of cicadas
Once a female cicada lays her eggs in a tree and they hatch, the hatchlings will crawl into the ground and bury themselves in the soil.
"They will not see light for a year, for multiple years," Kieschnick said. "They live in darkness. Their M.O. is to dig into the ground to find some juice from the plant roots."
While some cicadas live underground for a year, Kieschnick says other species can live in the ground for up to 17 years before they venture back out.
"We don't really have any of those [in Texas]," he said. "There's some maybe in the north part in Oklahoma. We don't really get too many of those, but we have plenty of the annual, one to five year cicadas."
When Sam Kieschnick comes to visit, he brings us show and tell, like the shells of these cicadas from his backyard. (1500x1200, AR: 1.25)
Shedding their skin
Kieschnick says cicadas molt their shells, similar to how a butterfly comes out of a cocoon. The shells can be found all over trees and the ground in the warmer months.
After they come out of their shells, they don't live all that long.
"In this stage, in the adult stage, they typically will live a couple of weeks, not very long," he said.
What purpose do they serve?
Cicadas do more than just provide the musical soundtrack to summer, although to humans, their purpose may seem insignificant.
"They are food, honestly," Kieschnick said. "It's weird to think, 'Oh, I can't wait to be eaten someday,' but that's kind of the purpose of these guys. They are to become nutrients for birds, for other bugs, and for spiders."
Live cicadas make a lot of noise. This cicada at the Trinity Audubon Center in Dallas was feeling particularly friendly, and quiet. (1080x1350, AR: 0.8)
He said sometimes cicadas get a bad reputation, being referred to as a "plague," but to Kieschnick, they deserve a lot of appreciation, and he even gave us some advice.
"Even though the adults only live for a couple weeks, they don't do enough either disturbance or damage to the plants to be of any issue," he said. "I'll give you this challenge. Look closer at what you see outside. You may see magnificence in your own backyard. When you change your perspective, when you look a little bit closer, you can see some tremendous beauty."
Ron Corning is a co-host of KERA's NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Ron at rcorning@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
Two cicadas found in Sam Kieschnick's backyard. Both are adults of different species, and died after only living for a few weeks. (1080x1350, AR: 0.8)
Sam Kieschnick is an urban wildlife biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife, who NTX Now has lovingly dubbed "Sam the Bug Man." He loves all things creepy crawly and cicadas are no exception.
He recently joined NTX Now host Ron Corning to explain that cicadas' role in our ecosystem goes beyond making chaotic music.
These interview highlights have been edited for length and clarity. To hear the conversation in full, click the 'listen' button above.
Lifespan of cicadas
Once a female cicada lays her eggs in a tree and they hatch, the hatchlings will crawl into the ground and bury themselves in the soil.
"They will not see light for a year, for multiple years," Kieschnick said. "They live in darkness. Their M.O. is to dig into the ground to find some juice from the plant roots."
While some cicadas live underground for a year, Kieschnick says other species can live in the ground for up to 17 years before they venture back out.
"We don't really have any of those [in Texas]," he said. "There's some maybe in the north part in Oklahoma. We don't really get too many of those, but we have plenty of the annual, one to five year cicadas."
When Sam Kieschnick comes to visit, he brings us show and tell, like the shells of these cicadas from his backyard. (1500x1200, AR: 1.25)
Shedding their skin
Kieschnick says cicadas molt their shells, similar to how a butterfly comes out of a cocoon. The shells can be found all over trees and the ground in the warmer months.
After they come out of their shells, they don't live all that long.
"In this stage, in the adult stage, they typically will live a couple of weeks, not very long," he said.
What purpose do they serve?
Cicadas do more than just provide the musical soundtrack to summer, although to humans, their purpose may seem insignificant.
"They are food, honestly," Kieschnick said. "It's weird to think, 'Oh, I can't wait to be eaten someday,' but that's kind of the purpose of these guys. They are to become nutrients for birds, for other bugs, and for spiders."
Live cicadas make a lot of noise. This cicada at the Trinity Audubon Center in Dallas was feeling particularly friendly, and quiet. (1080x1350, AR: 0.8)
He said sometimes cicadas get a bad reputation, being referred to as a "plague," but to Kieschnick, they deserve a lot of appreciation, and he even gave us some advice.
"Even though the adults only live for a couple weeks, they don't do enough either disturbance or damage to the plants to be of any issue," he said. "I'll give you this challenge. Look closer at what you see outside. You may see magnificence in your own backyard. When you change your perspective, when you look a little bit closer, you can see some tremendous beauty."
Ron Corning is a co-host of KERA's NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Ron at rcorning@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.