While I was trying to watch Smokey lay that first egg the other day, I noticed a cicada (I’ve seen it spelled “cikada” too and I don’t know what’s right) that was just crawling out of its shell.
It’s all the way out but very wet and fresh.
It’s looking for a safe, sunny spot (away from the lady with the camera) to spread his wings so they can dry out.
If you click on the photo below, you’ll see that his wings are drying but there are still two tiny drops of moisture on the left wing.
When I was a kid spending time at my grandma’s, they had cicada shells everywhere . . on all the trees especially. My grandma would give my sister and me each a jar and send us out to see how many shells we could find . . a contest of sorts. See why I’m so easily entertained . . it started way back when I was a little girl.
How wonderful was it to get to see a chicken lay an egg and a cicada shed his shell on the same day. How not wonderful was it to get bit by a spider?
CJ says
Yuck and yuck! I hate bugs! Although that bottom shot of the cicado is pretty awesome! 🙂 Hope your spider bite wasn’t too bad. /shudder!
Linda says
Yeah, it is a bit Yuck – but way cool too! I acutally didn’t know that what a cicada was. Now I know.
Linda
Eileen Keane says
I am so not a bug person. You couldn’t get me to touch anything like that!!!
I feel for you with the spider bite. I got a tick bite last month and had to take antibiotics for 3 weeks!!
Dawn from California says
So what did your grandmother do with the shells? Just wanted you to clean them up, or did she use them for something? When I was younger, my father would pay me a nickle for every tomato worm that I found on his tomato plants. We don’t have cicada bugs out in California, and we don’t have fireflies either! But we do have some nasty spiders!
Judy says
And our newspaper has an article today about a conference of the hospitality industry here at the Westin on bed bugs. Yikes! I hope your spider bite heals quickly; they can be nasty.
Pat says
Sorry about the spider bite and hope you don’t have an bad side effects from that. It is really neat that you got such great pictures of that new cicada!!!
Marla says
Do you know what kind of spider it was Judy? If there is any doubt, go to the ER as spider bites from brown recluses can cause very serious problems. Ask me how I know….
Sue Lord says
You have certainly had an exciting day!
lori R says
I looked that critter up- It is call a 17 yr locust. Do you see them every year or was this a first. I found this very interesting critter. Glad you have them not me. Yuck to bugs..
Bon says
I never knew what they looked like but I have been hearing them the last couple days. Doesn’t that mean 6 more weeks until frost? Or something like that.
I hate spider bites.
Cindy says
We always called them tree locusts, but they are cicadas. We have the annual cicadas around here. I think in the eastern US is where you see the periodical cicadas that emerge every 17 years. I’m still not clear on whether or not you only see them every 17 years or if some come out every year after having been in the ground for the previous 16 years or whatever. I mean, are they in the ground next to other cicadas that have been there longer or shorter times? Will you who live in the eastern US only see a cicada 4 or maybe 5 times in your life?
We used to pick the shells up too and collect them, well my brother and his friends did. They still creep me out.
That bite looks bad, it looks hot and itchy. But you get a welt like that from any kind of bite, don’t you?
Karen L says
Hey….it was cheap entertainment…….when growing up we had the most fun making mud pies……a little dirt, a little water……instant fun.
Karen
Linda Steller says
Oh man – spider bites can be so nasty. We have an over-abundance of garden spiders this year and I have some monster spider in the garage that I need to trap and haul away — far, FAR away from my house. It’s too big to kill. The crunch and squish would be more than I could bear.
Eileen W. Eisner says
um uh – did you have your Epi Pen handy? You better have that bite looked at, Missy. They can really be serious.
dawn says
I had a spider bite once on my ankle and it caused lots of trouble. didnt get a looksie at the hungry little buggar but I put some drawing salve ( ichthammol ointment) on it and it was better quick. the black salve drew out the spider stuff that was irritating my skin causing the swelling.
I also would keep an eye on it. spider bites are not fun.
Thanks for the education on the birth of a cicada bug. I have never seen one here in MA. I am not a bug lover but will look from a distance to watch or admire.
see that? You learn something every day. thanks for the lesson.
Dawn in MA
Carol says
A good treatment for bug/spider bits is stick deodorant. The antiperspirant reduces the swelling and itch. Apply 3 times per day for the first 2-3 days for nasty bites and then less often as needed. Like Dawn says, spider bites have to be watched and may need a trip to you doctor (Done that).
My father kept my youngest sister busy collect cicada shells. She had jars of them. We would help her out by locating the shells and picking the ones out of her reach. I’m sure not many kids would be entertained that way today. The shells don’t have earphones or a screen and buttons attached to them.
Bessie H says
I would have picked that baby up and dropped him in the chicken run.
Yum-Yum, a chicken’s favorite treat.
Linda Stichtenoth says
Spider bites are no fun. Here in Ohio we have lots of cicadas and it’s great to hear their song. However, when the 17-year locusts (synonym of cicada) come out they eat everything in their path and are quite the nuisance. That’s when it’s dangerous to be a sapling.
Susan Fields says
Nasty bite you have there………… Take care of yourself when you are out in the wild.