Cicada Mania

This afternoon Mom went to our local forest preserve to look for cicadas. These bugs emerge from the ground once every 17 years, so when they appear, it is a special sight. This type of cicada is called a Magicicada.

Below is some information we found on these bugs...

Cicadas begin life as a rice-shaped egg, which the female deposits in a groove she makes in a tree limb. The groove provides shelter and exposes the tree fluids, which the young cicadas can feed on. These grooves can kill small branches. When the braches die and leaves turn brown, it is called flagging.

Once the egg hatches the cicada begins to feed on the tree fluids. At this point it looks like a termite or small white ant. Once the young cicada is ready, it crawls from the scratch and falls to the ground where it will dig until it finds a root to feed on. Once a root is found the cicada will stay underground for 2 – 17 years depending on the species.

After the long 2 – 17 years, cicadas emerge from the ground as nymphs. Nymphs climb the nearest available tree, and begin to shed their nymph exoskeleton. Free of their old skin, their wings can inflate with fluid and their new skin can harden. Once their new wings and body are ready, they can begin their brief adult life.

Adult cicadas, also called imagoes, spend their time in trees looking for a mate. Males sing, females respond, mating begins, and the cycle of life begins again.

Here's the discarded shell of the nymph..

It's too bad Mom didn't bring me to that forest preserve because those bugs look awful tasty. Mom says it's not nice to eat them since they only leave the ground once every 17 years, and should be able to enjoy their time in the fresh air.

Cicadas are about 2 inches (5 cm) long, and 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. They are almost big enough to bully CC-man around.

So far we don't have any close to our house. I'll keep looking though. Cicadas might be the missing ingredient in my Eau de T-man cologne.

I smell something **sniff sniff sniff**