Aug
8
Backyard Biology – Cicada Shell
By karlw
I discovered a Cicada shell in my backyard on the weekend when I was trimming the hedge.
Cicadas live underground as nymphs for most of their lives, at depths ranging from about 30 cm (1 ft) down to 2.5 m (about 8½ ft). The nymphs feed on root juice and have strong front legs for digging.
In the final nymphal instar, they construct an exit tunnel to the surface and emerge. They then molt (shed their skins), on a nearby plant for the last time and emerge as adults. The abandoned skins remain, still clinging to the bark of trees.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada
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I was in Southern Ohio one year when the 7-year and 13-year populations coincided. It was like a biblical plague!
I’ve read somewhere that there have been recorded instances of magicicadas resetting their clocks (or perhaps switching cycles) en masse, so that an entire population of what should be 7-year cicadas emerge instead after 13.
Bug are so cool.