The term "jar fly" is a nickname of sorts given to cicada species. Cicadas are a group of nearly 3,000 insects and are true bugs in the order Hemiptera, which also includes several agricultural pests including aphids, spittlebugs and leafhoppers.

Is a cicada and a jar fly the same thing?

Periodic cicadas (17-year/13-year Magicicadas) are often called Locusts. Annual, summertime cicadas (primarily Tibicens) are called Jar Fly or Jarfly, Harvest Fly or “Dog Day” cicada depending on what part of the USA you're from.

What does jar fly look like?

Neotibicen. Neotibicen adults are green, black, and brown, bullet-shaped, and one-to-two inches long; they have four wings (the front pair twice as long as the rear pair), short antennae, two small compound “bug-eyes,” and three simple eyes. They look fearsome, but they're harmless.