SO. COOL.

[theweaselking]

It's a cicada, molting!

Comments

[fortysevenbteg.livejournal.com]

Not a bug-lover here, but even I know that's amazing. :)

[mhoye.livejournal.com]

So this is what it's come to; we cannot now mention that we find something wierd to be fascinating or beautiful without adding the "...but I would not want to have sex with it" caveat on the end.

Thank you, internet.

[fortysevenbteg.livejournal.com]

Well hold on now, I didn't say I wouldn't! :D *runs*

[rosethornn.livejournal.com]

Wow. That truly is amazing.

[dreamshade.livejournal.com]

Whoa, pretty wings.

[missysedai.livejournal.com]

Kinda reminds me of that scene from Alien.

I had no idea they had such bright wings. I've never seen a live cicada, only their shells stuck to the maple tree out back. That's pretty nifty!

[camelai.livejournal.com]

Once the wings dry they will be the same color as the rest of the cicada. They sure look pretty now, though!

[jerril]

The cicadas in australia have cobalt blue wings, instead of that amazing ... chartreuse? whatever it is. On the other hand, their heads are so wall eyed they look like tiny hammer-head sharks, and their eyes are bright red.

They'd be quite attractive, except that my first response on seeing them was "OMGWTFBBQ HORSEFLY OF THE APOCALYPSE!"

That, and when there's a carpet of them on the side of the building, across the front walkway, and into the street, you stop seeing individual cicadas and just start seeing an enormous noisy nuisance.

[tyoko.livejournal.com]

I still wonder how they manage to pull their legs out of the old skin without breaking it (or even letting go of the surface)

Or do they just grow an entirely new set?

[jokemanandpeppy.livejournal.com]

Simple 8th grade explanation, excluding all the minor details, and exceptions. Ever have a sun burn? Same thing, As with most bugs, their outer layer of skin *is* their bones. When they get too big, the outer layer *peels* off, and the new slightly bigger bug comes out now that the hard smaller skin is gone. In a few hours this new outer skin hardens, until the next time they need to grow a bit.

[jackrivet.livejournal.com]

Yeah, at my old place back in Brisbane we would find dozens of moulted cicada husks, freaky little mummified things they were.

It was sometimes kinda fun to pull the shells off the trees and hook them onto your wooly jumper and wait 'til somebody noticed.

[violent-rabbit.livejournal.com]

Yes! I used to collect them when I was wee.

[atlasimpure.livejournal.com]

Such pretty wings.

[sterlingspider.livejournal.com]

Molting is hands down the best part of having pet tarantulas and the worst part of having baby mantids (as not one of my three lived through it).

[leareth26.livejournal.com]

Cicadas are fascinating until you live in a place such as MD where they have the 17 year ones. Those fuckers are so loud that they cause insomnia. And BIG messes on your car when you run into them doing 45.

[pantiesinawad.livejournal.com]

oh my god i loooooooooooove this!!! thank you thank you thank you!!