Subject: green feet striped body
Location: Lafayette CA
May 18, 2014 9:41 pm
I saw this bug while sitting in a log ampitheatre. It is mostly oaks and some bays and toyon. In Lafayette, CA which is in the east bay area of northern california. No wings visible,
Signature: AMK
Dear AMK,
This is an immature Cicada, known as a nymph. Immature Cicadas spend their entire lives underground feeding from the roots of plants. Then when they are nearing maturity, they dig their way to the surface, molt one final time and emerge as winged adults. Many Cicadas spend several years as nymphs, and the record is held by the Periodical Cicada or 17 Year Locust which spends 17 years underground, often emerging in huge numbers on a cyclical basis. We will try to identify this species, though that might not be possible.
Thank you so much- this was from girl scout camp, so many will learn from this!!!
Ann
Hi! Just have to say thank you for a great website! I’ve spent the last week trying to identify an insect that I had never seen before! It was truly, strange and after I had it for two days, it suddenly morphed!! So,now I had this even stranger, winged insect! It came out very white, but darkened up fairly quickly. Needless to say, it was a cicada nymph that morphed into an adult! I never would have dreamed that these would live where I do. That being in Brownsville, CA. The elevation is about 2200-2300 feet in the Sierra Nevadas an hour and a half north of Sacramento. I’d be interested to know if it’s common for them to be in this area. Any help is appreciated!
Thank you!
There is more Cicada diversity in areas with wetter climates, but Cicadas are found throughout North America.