Cicadas

Cicadas

The very first dead bug I found was a cicada. It was in my front yard on the sidewalk near my front porch. I was 5 years old when I found it.
My mom showed me a picture of a cicada online before that day so I knew right away what the insect was when I saw it. We  put it into a clear plastic box on some Kleenex to keep it cushioned. We didn't know much about saving dead bugs for a collection at that point so that first cicada eventually lost a wing from being brought to school for show and tell, and from the other dead bug company we tried to put in the same box. Since then we have learned a bit more and I have found more cicadas for my collection.


Cicada Facts:

Some people in Asia, Africa, and Latin America eat cicadas for food. They are high in protein like many bugs are.

Cicadas are not the same thing as locust. A locust is actually a type of grasshopper which is a whole different species.

Cicada Eating Wasps are a well known predator of the cicada. Click here to learn more about them.

Cicadas make a loud buzzing sound.

Baby cicadas are called nymphs. They live underground and suck the sap from tree roots.

Cicadas spend most of their lifecycle underground.

You can find cicada sheds clinging to the bark of trees. The cicada leaves it's old skin behind when it changes into its adult form.