Newly Hatched Cicada

I see these guys’ empty skins hanging from the trees regularly, but I’ve never seen a newly hatched one before until recently. He had come out of his skin and was allowing his wings to dry out.  Unlike the swarms of 13 year or 17 year cicadas, this type emerges every year and is nicknamed the annual cicada. They are also known as a jar fly, August dry bird, dog day cicada, and harvest fly.

The wingless young, or nymphs, spend 2 – 3 years underground feeding on tree roots. (Generations overlap so that there is an annual emergence) Then they come up out of the ground and the winged adult emerges out of the nymph skin.  Males make loud calls in the afternoon or evening to attract females. They can produce sounds up to 120 decibels, among the loudest of all insects.

After mating, the female lays her eggs deep into tree branches. When the eggs hatch, the young drop to the ground and burrow beneath the soil where they will spend the next 2 – 3 years feeding on tree root sap.

In China, cicadas are eaten as a delicacy. They have also been eaten in Latin America, Burma, Malaysia, and in the United States.

I wasn’t that hungry, so I let this one alone.

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Suzanne

Cattle, corn, wheat, beans, mud, snow, ice, and drought. Plenty of fresh air and quiet. Our life is sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes joyous, but never boring.

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8 Responses

  1. Oh my Suzanne…great minds think alike! Stop by my blog today and see what I posted! That’s awesome that you found a cicada just out of it’s skin! I haven’t seen one yet..only the crunchy skins!

  2. Doe of Mi. says:

    Hi Suzanne – happy to see this post. I have always loved finding a cicada skin. Hooked them to my shirts to scare others and even had one riding around in my car for a couple of years. Ya, I’m a nutcase. Well anywho, I’ve never seen one hatch. So these pics are great and love seeing them. Thanks. By the way the last pic shows the end of its body and it looks like a catapiller. Don’t you think so?

  3. Tina says:

    Yuck!! I hate those things, the noise they make. My cat used to hold one in her mouth and they would humm and make her whole face shake but she never ate them. I think she just liked to play with them.

  4. Can you tell me what kind of lens you are using for these shots. They are so clear and detailed, even if it is bugs! I’m starting to look into macro stuff and would like some ideas. Thanks!

  5. Becky L. says:

    oh my,,,you could be a science or insect teacher! I love your insect posts. so interesting! I’ve not seen one at all.

  6. Peggy says:

    OMG! That is crazy cool!

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