Large brown cicada Coloring Pages

The Star of Summer! What is the Large brown cicada?

The Large brown cicada is the bug you see most often in parks and towns during Japanese summers. It is super familiar to everyone! When you hear its loud "Ji-ji-ji..." song, you know hot summer is really here! It is a lively bug that Japan's summer cannot do without.

Why Is It Called That? Its Name in English

Its Japanese name has the word "oil" in it. A famous story says this is because its song sounds like oil sizzling in a hot frying pan! In English, it is called "Large brown cicada". This name describes its looks just as they are!

When Can You See It? Active Season

The Large brown cicada comes out and sings loudly mostly in midsummer, from July to September. On hot August days when the sun shines bright, lots of cicadas join together in a big summer chorus!

Where Does It Live? Where You Can Find It

It lives all over Japan, from the south of Hokkaido to Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa! You can find them deep in the mountains, but they also live close to you. Look for them on trees along city streets, in schoolyards, and in your own yard!

What Does It Eat to Grow Big?

• Grown-up cicadas: They poke their long, thin, straw-like mouth into trees like cherry or zelkova. Then they drink the sweet, healthy tree sap!

• Baby cicadas (Nymphs): When they live underground, they poke their mouth into tree roots. They drink the juice from the roots to grow big and strong!

How Long Does It Live? The Secret of Its Life

People used to think grown-up cicadas only lived for one week above ground. But new studies show they can live for about 2 to 3 weeks in the wild if birds or mantises do not catch them! Before that, they spend about 3 to 5 long years in the dark soil. They get ready for years underground just to fly into the happy summer sky!

Very Rare in the World! Non-Clear "Brown Wings"

The coolest thing about the Large brown cicada is its brown wings that you cannot see through! Most cicadas in the world have clear wings like glass. Cicadas with dark, solid-colored wings like the Large brown cicada are very rare in the world! Their brown wings have black and green spots. When they sit on tree bark, they blend right in like magic trick camouflage!

A Magical Night Story! The Moment of Emergence

On a summer evening, the baby Large brown cicada crawls up out of the dirt. It climbs hard up its favorite tree or plant leaf. Then at night, its back splits open! Out comes a pretty grown-up cicada that is white and soft green. This big change is called emergence! Its brand-new wings are soft and pretty like clear ribbons. It stretches and dries its wings all night. By morning, its wings turn into strong brown wings, and it flies off into the sky!

How to Color the Cool "Brown Wings" That Are Its Trademark

Let's color the solid brown wings of the Large brown cicada to make it look super cool and real!

• Layering colors trick: If you just color everything with one brown, the picture will look flat. First, gently color the whole wing with light brown. Next, lightly layer dark brown or black around all the thin lines on the wings.

• Magic to make it look real: Mix a little bit of olive green along the edges of the wings. It will look just like a real Large brown cicada hiding in a tree! You can surprise your friends!

The Bumpy Body and Black-and-Brown Shades

The head and chest of the Large brown cicada are very tough and look like dark armor.

• Shadows for a 3D look: Press down hard with a sharp black pencil in the gaps between the bumpy lines on the head and chest.

• Pattern accents: Add a tiny bit of reddish-brown or orange patterns to the raised parts of the chest. Make sure they match on both sides! Color the three tiny eyes in the middle of the head bright red like rubies. It will look so much more like a real bug!

Tips for Coloring the Magical Moment of Hatching

Here are special tricks for coloring the exciting moment when the adult cicada crawls out of its shell!

• The empty shell: Use dull light brown or yellow-brown to color the empty shell at the bottom.

• The shiny newborn body: The cicada that just came out of the shell is not brown yet. It is very light mint green or cream color. Its wings are clear and shine like green jewels! Don't press down hard. Leave lots of white and gently add soft light green. You can capture the magical change that happens in just one night!

Color the Green Leaves and Trees to Make It Feel Like Summer

Have fun coloring the leaves and background to make your picture full of energy!

• Fresh summer plants: Color the big leaves and stems neatly using bright yellow-green and deep green. Put darker green in the shadows where leaves overlap. This shows how strong plants grow in summer!

• Make a story in the background: You can color the empty space into a bright blue summer sky. Or if it is a night scene, color the sky dark blue and draw tiny yellow stars! It will look just like a picture book!

Why does it have "oil" in its name?

In the summer, the Large brown cicada buzzes loudly. This sound is just like meat cooking in a pan or food frying in hot oil. That is how it got its unique name!

Brown wings are super rare in the world!

You can see the Large brown cicada everywhere in Japanese summers. But most cicadas around the world have clear wings. A cicada with brown, solid wings like the Large brown cicada is a super rare and special type in the world.

They live longer than one week!

People used to say grown cicadas only live for one week. But new science shows that wild Large brown cicadas live for almost one month! They buzz with all their energy and live strong through the short summer.

Babies stay in the dirt for 5 years

They do not fly outside for very long. But after hatching from eggs, baby cicadas live in the dirt for about 5 years. They drink juice from tree roots in the dark soil while patiently waiting for the day they can come outside and grow wings.

They like bright lights at night

The Large brown cicada loves bright places like streetlights and house lights, even at night. Sometimes it gets confused and starts buzzing at night, or sticks to screen doors to peek inside. It can be a little silly sometimes!