Big bug, beautiful wings
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
July 13, 2011 2:03 pm
Have found the shells of these the last two years, but this was the first time I actually saw the bug. What is it?
Signature: MI Mom
Dear MI Mom,
This is a newly metamorphosed Cicada, and the shell is the shed exoskeleton of the nymph, known as the exuvia. Upon hatching, tiny Cicada nymphs burrow underground where they remain for several years feeding on fluids from the roots of trees and shrubs. Upon maturing, they dig to the surface and molt for the final time into winged adults.