Cicadas

Cicadas are really neat bugs. Did you know that the young cicada burrows down into the ground and "hibernates" for several years? Sometimes they can stay underground for up to 17 years! I read online that while underground, cicadas live by eating tree roots. You can read more about them here

The picture above is from my yard. This is the shell of a cicada that tunneled up through the ground and climbed on a lantana stem. Then, it popped out of its shell! Notice the "split seam" down the center of the shell.

Here is another cicada that climbed up my dog's pen. This seems to be a popular place for cicadas to shed their shells. I find so many empty cicada shells in his pen!