Over a billion cicadas—medium-winged insects who don’t sting or bite—are emerging from the ground in areas of the U.S. this spring. This phenomenon only happens once every 200 years, so it’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience! As many excited people plan trips to see large numbers of cicadas, we need to remember that these insects are individuals who have feelings and want to be treated with kindness.

If you or anyone you know happens to come across a cicada (or hundreds or thousands of them), you should treat them like any other wild animal: by admiring them from afar and never running up to them, touching them, or scaring them. These insects are gentle individuals who wouldn’t hurt you—and they should be treated with that same respect and kindness.

Fun fact: Did you know that cicadas can keep track of time? They’re also able to figure out the temperature of the ground. Even though these interesting insects don’t have vocal cords, they can produce sounds that can be heard from over a mile and a half away! Help celebrate cicadas by printing our free coloring sheet and filling it in using your favorite colored pencils or markers.

Once you color in your page, be sure to hang it up somewhere people can see it to remind them that cicadas are our friends!

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Check out more awesome facts about insects: