Common cicadas of Washington (WA):
Okanagana canescens Van Duzee, 1915
Okanagana ferrugomaculata Davis, 1936
Okanagana fratercula Davis, 1915
Okanagana gibbera Davis, 1927
Okanagana lurida Davis, 1919
Okanagana luteobasalis Davis, 1935
Okanagana napa Davis, 1919
Okanagana nigrodorsata Davis, 1923
Okanagana occidentalis (Walker in Lord, 1866)
Okanagana oregona Davis, 1916
Okanagana tristis tristis Van Duzee, 1915
Okanagana utahensis Davis, 1919
Okanagana vanduzeei Distant, 1914
Okanagana yakimaensis Davis, 1939
Platypedia areolata (Uhler, 1861)
Platypedia falcata Davis, 1920
Platypedia putnami lutea Davis, 1920 aka Putnam’s Cicada
Platypedia putnami putnami (Uhler, 1877) aka Putnam’s Cicada
Name and Location References:
- Full Binomial Names: ITIS.gov
- Common names & locations: BugGuide.net; iNaturalist.com; The Songs of Insects by Lang Elliott and Wil Herschberger; my personal memory.
- Locations: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico by Allen F. Sanborn and Polly K. Phillips.
- List of species with MAPs: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico [PDF] by Allen F. Sanborn and Polly K. Phillips. Download it once; treasure it forever.
I used to see a few cicadas at my home every summer when I moved there in 1992. This is in Yakima County near the towns of Gleed and Naches in the Cascade foothills. It has now been between 10 and 15 years since I have seen one. The landscape has not changed much in 30+ years so not sure why they seem to have disappeared. Lots of fruit orchards so lots of bug control.
It could be that insecticides did them in. Maybe some development or tree removal did them in.
Here’s a map of cicada sightings in Yakima.
On a positive note, Okanagana have long life cycles. Okanagana rimosa: 9 years. Okanagana synodica: possibly 17 to 19 years.
So it could be that they’re OK, but just underground enjoying root sap. Let’s hope this is the case.
I want to visit that area one of these days. I watch Nick Zentner’s videos on youTube and it seems like wonderfully scenic country.
First cicadas tonight 1/28/24 just after dark. When was the last time that they were reported in Mason county?
A little too cold. 8°C°F
My mom lives on Harstine Island and has loud bird-sounding chirping noises in her house. She does not think she has birds in her house and thinks they are bugs that sound like bird chirps. I looked at likely possible cicadas as they chirp all day and night too. Are there cicadas that may be on Harstine Island, Mason Co. WA State? or some other possibility?
Inside a house, it sounds more like a cricket. The cicadas in WA state are sun-loving insects and normally sing during the day.
I don’t think I have ever heard cicadas in the Mukilteo area…and I’ve lived here 25 years. I kinda miss them, they are the background “music” of summer
I checked iNaturalist (app, website) and there’s sightings near the area, but not in the area. Okanagana have relatively mundane songs, and Platypedia just makes clicks. Easy to miss them.