Empty Shell

[salden]

I can never get these guys during the transformation...only after

[Ken Ramos]

I have never seen one crawling out of the shuck either. As a matter of fact, I haven't seen one of these in a long time.

[Carl_Constantine]

someone mind telling me what it is. It doesn't look like I'd want to meet it in a dark alley, that's for sure.

[Mike B in OKlahoma]

I would love to photograph (both on a macro level, and a more "normal" scale of image) one of the big eruptions of these, but have never seen it. Have to settle for our modest-sized Oklahoma annuals.

Carl, since Sue hasn't been back, I'll tell you--It's the discarded shell of a cicada (aka "locust") larva. They live underground while growing into the adult form, then come to the surface, molt and abandon the shell you see here, and fly off to make an incredible racket and keep people awake all night!

[salden]

Thanks Mike for responding. I was tending my dogs . They will also land on you. I had one hit me in the back. I felt the impact and it adhered itself to the back of my shirt in a spot I could not reach. Took a stick and got it off me

[paul]

Never observed the real thing myself either.
Nice shot, Sue. Here they appear around December/January, mostly at the foot of trees, up walls, never seen them on leaves like that. Mike's description of the ensuing racket is apt, although ours seem to observe a nighttime curfew. But many a summer interview on TV is marred by the background noise.

[twebster]

Hi y'all,

Cicadas hatch at night. That's why you seldom see them hatching.

[Ken Ramos]

Well, I guess that explains that. Didn't know that Tom, thanks . I suppose I will never see one do that but then again who knows. I refrain from prowling around outside at night to much, except for an occasional evening of star gazing with my binoculars.

[salden]

I kind of figured that was the case Tom. After they come out of the casing, they start making all that racket .