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snowy tree cricket

insect
Also known as: Oecanthus fultoni, thermometer cricket

Quick Summary

The snowy tree cricket (Oecanthus fultoni) is a pale greenish or whitish-yellow insect found widely in North America. It belongs to the family Gryllidae, which includes approximately 2,400 species of leaping insects known for the musical chirping of males.12

Tree crickets, in general, are arboreal insects that are typically pale or white and possess transparent wings. While they can be beneficial as they prey on aphids, female tree crickets can damage twigs when laying eggs. The snowy tree cricket is particularly known as the "thermometer cricket" because its chirping rate can be used to estimate the approximate temperature in Fahrenheit by counting chirps in 15 seconds and adding 40.23

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