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ST. GEORGE — The trees are alive with the sound of buzzing. A chorus of unique insects calls out to potential mates and fills the air with noisy whirring.
The cicada's unique sound is created when males vibrate a noise-making organ on their bodies called tymbals, according to Cicada Mania. Cicadas are capable of making a variety of sounds with these organs, including the characteristic buzzing associated with the insect's mating calls.
Samual Wells, an assistant biology professor at Southern Utah University, said that while most species of cicada use tymbals to create their song, others also crepitate, which is when the insects use their bodies to produce clicking noises.
According to a Facebook post by Zion National Park, some cicadas, like those in the genus Platypedia, lack tymbals and can only use their wings to produce crackling sounds. Similar to how a metal dog-training clicker works, the insects bend the semirigid surface of their wings to create a snapping sound.
