Subject: Unknown bug
Location: Minnesota
July 31, 2012 6:42 pm
I saw this one crawling toward my son when we were having a picnic at the park. It was about an inch long and half inch wide. Can you tell me what it is, not sure I saw it in the directory.
Signature: MH
Dear MH,
This is a Cicada Nymph. They generally escape notice since they live underground for from several years to as long as 17 years in the case of the Periodical Cicada, AKA 17 Year Locust. While underground, they take nourishment from plant roots. When they have neared maturity, they dig to the surface, metamorphose into winged adults, and live for several more weeks as adult Cicadas. Most Cicadas in North America belong to the genus Tibicen, the Annual Cicadas, and one of the most common is the Dogday Harvestfly. Annual Cicadas are the sole prey of Cicada Killer Wasps, one of our most frequent summer identification request subjects.