Bright Green Bug - Ask Extension
I found this bug in my yard yesterday. From what I can tell it is a cicada, however no one seems to be familiar with this type. Are these native to th...
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Bright Green Bug #832610
Asked May 29, 2023, 9:10 PM EDT
I found this bug in my yard yesterday. From what I can tell it is a cicada, however no one seems to be familiar with this type. Are these native to the Oregon area? Do they cause any harm to vegetable crops?
Marion County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Lisa,
Ah...so beautiful!
Yes, you are right. That is a cicada. It is a native species either from the genus Platypedia or the genus Neoplatypedia. Interestingly, the green color not an ID characteristic. Cicadas tend to be greenish right after they molt to become adults, but they darken up as they mature.
Here is a photo of a Platypedia specimen for comparison...
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1466540/bgimage
Luckily, cicadas do not cause any damage to vegetable plants. They feed lightly and do not cause appreciable damage to any plants in that way. The adult females do lay their egg into the young stems of woody plants, which can cause some unsightly tip dieback, but this doesn't typically harm the health of the woody plants overall.
Enjoy!
Yours,
Ah...so beautiful!
Yes, you are right. That is a cicada. It is a native species either from the genus Platypedia or the genus Neoplatypedia. Interestingly, the green color not an ID characteristic. Cicadas tend to be greenish right after they molt to become adults, but they darken up as they mature.
Here is a photo of a Platypedia specimen for comparison...
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1466540/bgimage
Luckily, cicadas do not cause any damage to vegetable plants. They feed lightly and do not cause appreciable damage to any plants in that way. The adult females do lay their egg into the young stems of woody plants, which can cause some unsightly tip dieback, but this doesn't typically harm the health of the woody plants overall.
Enjoy!
Yours,
