Kaylee is really interested in these cicadas. They are beginning to leave their exoskeletons every where! While on our walks we see them all over trees, cars, the road, and even tall pieces of grass. Our yard has little holes in the ground where many cicadas have emerged. It's a bit weird.
We have researched cicadas and learned a lot about them. Kaylee has been nearly obsessed! We have learned all about their life cycle. The female lays tiny eggs in the tree bark. When the eggs hatch, tiny nymphs emerge and drop to the ground. The nymphs burrow into the ground using their claw like front legs. Then, they eat tree roots with their straw like mouth part for up to 17 years. They shed their hard shell skin many times. Then, the grown nymphs tunnel up to the surface. The outer skin of the cicada splits and an adult emerges with wings and flies away. The male cicadas make a sound to attract females. They mate and die. The life cycle begins again. The cicadas all emerge at once when the temperature is right.
It seems like most of the cicadas have been busy going through their metamorphosis. When cicadas emerge from their outer "skin" they have wings. We have been finding what they left behind every where!
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| Cicada exoskeletons! |
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| The exoskeletons are hanging every where! |
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| Just a few of the holes in the ground where cicadas emerged. |
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| Cicada exoskeletons piled at the bottom of a tree. |
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