Friday, July 24, 2009

The Mother of all Bugs

I heard crackling in the grass and at first wondered if there was a snake nearby. When I looked under the shrub I saw this huge bug struggling in last year's dried brown leaves. I cleared a small area for him, pulled off the little twigs that were bending one wing, and he let me kneel close to him and snap some pix. His (or her) rounded, bulky body looked to be about an inch and a half long, and the wings stretched out well beyond it. Green bands on the bottom of the wings and around the head or thorax that could pass for grass helped to camouflage him. This must be one of the many insects that preceded man on the planet. It is a dog day cicada.

3 comments:

Judith said...

It looks like a Cicada.

Susannah said...

Thanks. And more, I think it is a dog day cicada, common in the Carolinas.

Emily Kate Sodders said...

Yes, that is definitely a cicada, if there's any room left for doubt after the other comments- let this confirm it! :)