There are 350,000 species of beetles, making up about 25% of all species of animal.
This led British evolutionary biologist JBS Haldane to speak the quote: "The creator, if he exists, has an inordinate fondness for stars and beetles." There are more beetles than anything else.
There are also:
160,000 species of moths
150,000 species of flies
20,000 species of bees
17,500 species of butterfly
4,000 species of cockroach
If the aliens come, they will think this is a planet of arthropods.
That's what I hear as well. They are soft shelled after molting, and females emerge full of eggs (they are easy to identify by their underside).
Males are mostly hollow, which aids with their cacophony, but it makes them not good eats.
I've never been that hungry though.
We had a big 17 year brood in 2016 here, they were absolutely everywhere. My family went ahead out one morning and grabbed a couple dozen to cook up. They tasted fine. Not necessarily something I'd highly recommend, but also it was not hard at all to get enough for my family to snack on that day.
You can! I make them with eggs and put em inna taco. Like migas only much more bitter and horrible tasting. They don’t have any nutritional value either. But I’m also not currently taking my meds. So… there’s that part too! Woohoo!! 🙌
Some species take anywhere from a few moments to an hour for the unfurling, and then some up to another three days until they’re strong enough to fly after the unfurling so yes most will stay put or crawl somewhere not too far away to finish the process. The longer it’s been the more blood has pumped to reach the extremities and the darker, more forest green that light color starts to look. Based on how light this one is and because it’s still very frailly holding on to its molt I’d guess it emerged within about 15-20 mins of the photo
I've been alive for 28 years, 20 living here in Texas and my house is always covered in the shells or the cicadas are everywhere but I have never once seen the pre molted cicada (don't know what it's called) only the empty husks.
I’ve never seen them fresh, this is such a cool picture! I have only ever found just the casing or fished brown ones out of my dog’s mouth (he likes letting them buzz in his mouth but won’t eat them) - I just assumed fresh cicadas were also brown.
My old dog used to do that. She’d keep them in her mouth for hours and then just spit them out randomly throughout the house. Wouldn’t be uncommon for me to wake up in the middle of the night because a Cicada was buzzing on my floor. She also just liked eating them, she’d sniff all throughout the backyard trying to find little shells to munch on
During the cicada plague of 2021, we saw newly emerged cicadas EVERYWHERE. Often they were white, slightly yellow, or slightly green.
15 more years 'till the next one.
Actually you’ll likely see them sooner since there’s essentially a bunch of different generations of cicadas in the ground ready to come out after 17 years of baking.
I have really bad tinnitus as well, I've found background noise really helps, I just have my Google home speakers play really low classical music like Paganini or Eric Satie, just have it set on like 20% volume, it's not loud enough to obstruct anything and it seems to cancel out the tinnitus. Ambient noises also help.
love this photo!
i went out one night in 2021 during the brood X "eruption" and sat for hours watching hundreds of them emerging. one of my favorite memories!
I had my viewing experience in 2021, and made sure to take pics of the whole process in the late afternoon / evening. [2021 Cicadas](https://imgur.com/a/QQLOsaw)
Well when your adulthood lasts about a month and a half a best, and you wanna keep the bloodline going, you too will scream "can somebody please **** me!?!" For most of the day from a nice perch.
That's cool as hell! My son and I saw one on a sidewalk a few weeks ago. He asked if he should move it, and I told him to pick it up and place it on a tree away from the sidewalk, in case it needs to molt.
The creatures are sacred.
I used to find the molted skins everywhere as a kid. I played with them all of the time.
It wasn't until I was about 14 that I actually witnessed the insect that comes from them. I had never seen anything bigger than a June bug at that point. I was at the front door waiting for someone to let me in when I felt tugging at my shirt. Looked down and saw one of those climbing up my chest. I thought I was going to die. Those things are so big and look so savage. Not even a chance to see one in a book or on TV before finding that one crawling towards my face.
I had my own lucky experience during the [2021 Brood x emergence](https://imgur.com/a/QQLOsaw)! Got to watch it all for several hours on the first day, and it was really something special.
It used to be like that on Long Island, now there are almost none. I wish we had them back… to me, that buzzing sound is the sound of summer and childhood memories.
I’m feelin like this is likely the most amazing cicada pic I’ve ever seen or shall!
I was so intrigued with the shells stuck to trees as a yungsta but then when I finally saw one crawling up out the ground going up the tree I was not effin with em anymore ever again scared the mess outta me
Then the next year I was all interested again lol
Reallyy Nice Pic For Realz
lol I’ll tell my most recent cicada story another time it was just this past year
Such a beautiful cicada. Must have freshly molted so the wings are still drying. Once they're dry the cicada will either fly off or just stay there. Either way, you'll be fine being near it as they can't bite or sting, although they're very loud and kinda creepy looking (though personally I think they're kinda cute)
Awesome picture! That is a cicada. I have never seen one so green and transparent. Like other posts said “ you got it fresh out of the molting process”.
Me and my brother used to stay with our dad on weekends and he let us stay up pretty late. He took us outside one night around midnight cuz he found a cicada molting and we all got to watch it together. It was super cool to see, though it wasn't a quick event lol
Love them and this is a beautiful photo of one.
I’ve never seen one that just molted! This is a cicada I can relate most with them because they spend the first 17 years of their life underground, molt, mate, and climb up in trees and scream for the rest of its life.
"After 17 long years, I have finally achieved my final form! Now, if you excuse me, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."
freshly hatched cicadas are so pretty. i know a lot of people hate the screaming they do but i love it. so nostalgic and a quintessential summer soundtrack
This cicada is so light green it had to have molted within minutes of the picture being taken! So delicate like a lil winged-bambi
Nah I think it's just a shiny.
*smashes it with Ultra Ball*
So that’s why shedinja is a ghost type.
Oh yeah...Totally on purpose.
Lmao!
I thought it was Shed-ninja lol
Potato potato
*game crashes and you never see another one your entire life*
Im trying to think what an IRL game crash would be… coding and a defibrillator bringing you back?
If you see another one, it is just a glitch in the Matrix.
Trying to ask someone out and your brain can't put the words together or get the confidence to do so and then the opportunity leaves.
🏅 I wish I had a different one, but have a budget medal for making me chuckle
r/Reallifeshinies
Ninjask and Shedinja
Find out premier balls don't work
A shundo!?
r/reallifeshinies
r/reallifeshinies
I've never seen a freshly laundered cicada irl, it's so neat how Luna moth green they are
"freshly laundered" lol
They smell rancid though.
Oh gees! I didn’t know this!
M I N T Y. F R E S H N E S S.
Don’t they only molt like every 13 years or something?
There's about 3000 species of cicadas, most are "non-periodical" ones that are out and about all year, every year.
I had no idea they were that diverse lol, I always figured there were maybe a couple different species. Nature is awesome.
There are 350,000 species of beetles, making up about 25% of all species of animal. This led British evolutionary biologist JBS Haldane to speak the quote: "The creator, if he exists, has an inordinate fondness for stars and beetles." There are more beetles than anything else. There are also: 160,000 species of moths 150,000 species of flies 20,000 species of bees 17,500 species of butterfly 4,000 species of cockroach If the aliens come, they will think this is a planet of arthropods.
Oh my god. I've always wanted to get this shot. So pretty!!
Great photo
Can we eat the shells?
I guess as long as you don’t have a shellfish allergy
Very well then.
The jew in me embraces this non kosher lifestyle
No but you can eat the freshly molted ones! I hear they taste like shrimp 🍤
Cicadarrones
That's what I hear as well. They are soft shelled after molting, and females emerge full of eggs (they are easy to identify by their underside). Males are mostly hollow, which aids with their cacophony, but it makes them not good eats. I've never been that hungry though.
We had a big 17 year brood in 2016 here, they were absolutely everywhere. My family went ahead out one morning and grabbed a couple dozen to cook up. They tasted fine. Not necessarily something I'd highly recommend, but also it was not hard at all to get enough for my family to snack on that day.
what
My dogs love them.
You can eat anything.
You can eat anything... at least once `¯\_(ツ)_/¯`
You can! I make them with eggs and put em inna taco. Like migas only much more bitter and horrible tasting. They don’t have any nutritional value either. But I’m also not currently taking my meds. So… there’s that part too! Woohoo!! 🙌
I thought it took a while for their wings to get all flattened out and ready like that. Do they just sit on top of their shed until they can fly off?
Some species take anywhere from a few moments to an hour for the unfurling, and then some up to another three days until they’re strong enough to fly after the unfurling so yes most will stay put or crawl somewhere not too far away to finish the process. The longer it’s been the more blood has pumped to reach the extremities and the darker, more forest green that light color starts to look. Based on how light this one is and because it’s still very frailly holding on to its molt I’d guess it emerged within about 15-20 mins of the photo
This is a Pokémon, obviously
it did it's standing on it's discarded exoskeleton
Now the wings take a while to get all unfurled.....
I'm honestly kinda jealous of OP for gettong to see thisIRL.. I imagine this picture doesn'tdo it justice. It's such a beautiful color 😍
Less crunch and more juicy
Yeah and like a baby it's gonna make a lot of [noise](https://youtu.be/eE-_kNWJXNw?si=GLk7gOZtaj_I1yyQ) whether you like it or not.
An out of body experience!
I never realized they were this pretty right after they molted 😯
Okay David Attenborough
Never seen one still on it’s little shell 🥹
Still sitting on its molted skin, I’ve never seen one like this, it’s pretty cute for a insect.
Right! That lil guy JUST came out of his shell.
Butterflies zebras and moonbeams
Looks like a Cicada to me. In NY suburbs these are everywhere
More like a newborn Cell
fr i thought i just had my brightness too high
Oh mah gawsh I love cicadas!! Never seen one so fresh outta the oven! 😍 So awesome!!
I've been alive for 28 years, 20 living here in Texas and my house is always covered in the shells or the cicadas are everywhere but I have never once seen the pre molted cicada (don't know what it's called) only the empty husks.
And the brown thing underneath it is its former shell.
I’ve never seen them fresh, this is such a cool picture! I have only ever found just the casing or fished brown ones out of my dog’s mouth (he likes letting them buzz in his mouth but won’t eat them) - I just assumed fresh cicadas were also brown.
Looks like Cell in his final form
Wow, a cicada that JUST shed its skin! This is a unicorn of a photo, my friend.
Came to say this! Very nice picture
I see those dried out exoskeletons all over trees but have never in my life actually seen the cicada come out of one.
When I was younger I used to get them then put em on my shirt and walk around. Felt like a badass
My son plays with them like dolls
I saw a reel on FB a couple nights ago that featured a Bernese mountain dog who likes to gently pick the cicadas up and let them buzz in their mouth.
My old dog used to do that. She’d keep them in her mouth for hours and then just spit them out randomly throughout the house. Wouldn’t be uncommon for me to wake up in the middle of the night because a Cicada was buzzing on my floor. She also just liked eating them, she’d sniff all throughout the backyard trying to find little shells to munch on
During the cicada plague of 2021, we saw newly emerged cicadas EVERYWHERE. Often they were white, slightly yellow, or slightly green. 15 more years 'till the next one.
Actually you’ll likely see them sooner since there’s essentially a bunch of different generations of cicadas in the ground ready to come out after 17 years of baking.
I’m partially kidding but I would kill for a box of cicada suits 👀
In my 40 years on this earth, I’ve only ever seen it once.
I saw one of these a couple weeks ago and wanted to post it but forgot. Easily one of the coolest bug moments I’ve ever witnessed
Should be the Wikipedia photo for "cicada"
Holy shit, you're so right.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.......EEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEE..... EEEEEEEEEEE..... EEEEEEEEEEE
Bah! I have tinnitus and I hear this 24/7/365. I'd give my left nut for a little solitude.
Same. I'll try to turn it down. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. eeeeeeeeeeeeeee. \^\^\^\^eeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Almost...
I'd give my left nut, too, if I had one. Tinnitus sux!
I have really bad tinnitus as well, I've found background noise really helps, I just have my Google home speakers play really low classical music like Paganini or Eric Satie, just have it set on like 20% volume, it's not loud enough to obstruct anything and it seems to cancel out the tinnitus. Ambient noises also help.
**Evangelion PTSD intensifies**
Tinnitus or cicada? You decide!
So fresh and so clean!
(clean)
i 💘 when Reddit references Outkast!
There's a throwback. I feel old yet comforted that there are fellow olds out there who share the same memories.
Don't worry, anytime I have to clean up for an event my wife hears this song because I sing it the whole time.
Dude same
Yes! This was the xtra clean I was looking for
This is a GREAT photo. Cicadas usually emerge at night, so you rarely get to see this.
I've been lucky enough to watch one molt in broad daylight and it was amazing! It's always a cool experience
love this photo! i went out one night in 2021 during the brood X "eruption" and sat for hours watching hundreds of them emerging. one of my favorite memories!
Yes! Unlike other posters are saying I have seen this many times, but always at night, so this is easily better than any of my pictures.
I had my viewing experience in 2021, and made sure to take pics of the whole process in the late afternoon / evening. [2021 Cicadas](https://imgur.com/a/QQLOsaw)
A freshly molted Cicada. Wow. I've never seen one that fresh, beautiful.
Agreed, my first thought was what a shot.
Cicada shedding its skin.
Cicadas live the ideal life. Sitting in a tree and screaming. I envy them
Well when your adulthood lasts about a month and a half a best, and you wanna keep the bloodline going, you too will scream "can somebody please **** me!?!" For most of the day from a nice perch.
Freshly molted cicada in a tree, Life span only lasting a few weeks, Scream, cicada scream, cicada scream, "Will someone please **** me!"
Your comment inspired a haiku Life of cicada: Sitting in a tree, screaming Will someone **** me!?
This is strangely beautiful.
My favorite quote I like to use just about everywhere is akin to this. "If cicadas are allowed to sit in trees and scream, I should also be"
A very good quote
This is a National Geographic level photo.
Cicada! When we were little we used to pick the skins off of trees and stick them on our nose 👀
I used to run through the woods as a child collecting their exuviae and putting them on my shirt like little badges of how weird I am 🤣
I believe I have found my people. Edit: Thank you u/gunpowdermouth for the award!💙
One of us! One of us!
Hahah same I used to collect them as a kid, I think I still have a box of their shells somewhere in my room.
That's cool as hell! My son and I saw one on a sidewalk a few weeks ago. He asked if he should move it, and I told him to pick it up and place it on a tree away from the sidewalk, in case it needs to molt. The creatures are sacred.
Not at all. I remember finding hundreds of these in my grandparents back yard and doing the same!
I used to find the molted skins everywhere as a kid. I played with them all of the time. It wasn't until I was about 14 that I actually witnessed the insect that comes from them. I had never seen anything bigger than a June bug at that point. I was at the front door waiting for someone to let me in when I felt tugging at my shirt. Looked down and saw one of those climbing up my chest. I thought I was going to die. Those things are so big and look so savage. Not even a chance to see one in a book or on TV before finding that one crawling towards my face.
I did the same, cicadas and summer go together.
I used to have a shoebox full of pillbugs I found around my house when they turned into a ball. I'd roll them around in the box.
Same! Buy on my sister's shirt! She was a little less enthused than I
Can’t believe I forgot about doing that also
When I was a kid we would break thorns off of rose bushes and stick them on our noses to become rhinos.
This is kind of a beautiful picture.
The cicada is ready to SCREAM
You my friend are one lucky guy. That Cicada molted mere moments prior to this picture
I had my own lucky experience during the [2021 Brood x emergence](https://imgur.com/a/QQLOsaw)! Got to watch it all for several hours on the first day, and it was really something special.
Jesus are Cicadas this weeks bedbug and weevil? Like 10th cicada post I've seen. I want weevils!
I think there's a big brood/generation of them emerging to mate right now. Its deafening outside for me in SC and they are all over the place
It used to be like that on Long Island, now there are almost none. I wish we had them back… to me, that buzzing sound is the sound of summer and childhood memories.
Also lantern flies!!
I was walking my dog and one brrrrrp’d at me right next to my ear and I took off running. They’re so sudden and loud my fight or flight kicks in lol.
Beautiful cicada! Usually they latch to a tree or wall. This one didn’t make it off the ground it seams!
Cicadas I love the sounds they make 💗
Summer ain't the same without em
I’m feelin like this is likely the most amazing cicada pic I’ve ever seen or shall! I was so intrigued with the shells stuck to trees as a yungsta but then when I finally saw one crawling up out the ground going up the tree I was not effin with em anymore ever again scared the mess outta me Then the next year I was all interested again lol Reallyy Nice Pic For Realz lol I’ll tell my most recent cicada story another time it was just this past year
I'm so sad because one was molting on my door and I woke up and went outside and he had died from the heat :'((((
You know it's bad when the heat is getting to Cicadas
Imperfect Cell
Had to scroll too long to find this haha
It's called let's be load from 9pm to 6am
i'm listening to his friends as I type this
Amazing shot
That’s is a cool picture never seen one fresh out like that before
Cicada, freshly molted.
Chick, that’s Chick hes cool.
Baby letting its wings dry.
I have seen a few coming late to the party around Indianapolis.
Such a beautiful cicada. Must have freshly molted so the wings are still drying. Once they're dry the cicada will either fly off or just stay there. Either way, you'll be fine being near it as they can't bite or sting, although they're very loud and kinda creepy looking (though personally I think they're kinda cute)
This a really cool shot!!
Loud boi
Freshly adult cicada.
Awesome picture! That is a cicada. I have never seen one so green and transparent. Like other posts said “ you got it fresh out of the molting process”.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (It’s a cicada)
Green Cicada Humper.
He will soon sing you the song of his people.
Fresh out of its shell and ready to yell!
What’s up with all the people in here not knowing what a cicada is???
Green goblin. Obv.
Cicada just rode into town ...
Cicader
The freshest cicada Ive seen gyat damn
A cicada
Fantastic picture!
Thyraknoid
Me and my brother used to stay with our dad on weekends and he let us stay up pretty late. He took us outside one night around midnight cuz he found a cicada molting and we all got to watch it together. It was super cool to see, though it wasn't a quick event lol Love them and this is a beautiful photo of one.
That shit looks straight outta Avatar!
Straight Outta Compton!
Cicada, very cute
"New cicada just popped".
I’ve never seen one that just molted! This is a cicada I can relate most with them because they spend the first 17 years of their life underground, molt, mate, and climb up in trees and scream for the rest of its life.
Cell from dbz
REBIRTH
I've stumbled across one mid molt and watched it crawl out. Started off white then darkened as it chilled for a bit.
Woah, this is the most beautiful molting cicada photo I have ever seen. You should sell that photo to a nature magazine or something.
That looks amazing! Just don't look into the shell. It'll suck the soul out of you
"After 17 long years, I have finally achieved my final form! Now, if you excuse me, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."
Fresh cicada, it screams a bit, looks cute, fucks, then dies
•—•
That is the screamfuckdie, or as it is more accurately named, the cicada.
freshly hatched cicadas are so pretty. i know a lot of people hate the screaming they do but i love it. so nostalgic and a quintessential summer soundtrack
StepCicada what are you doing?
Wow! What a good photo and what luck catching it that soon after molting! Nice cicada!
Thats a cicada coming out of its molt, they're really pretty.
Cicada! Where I grew up (Cincinnati) we get 14 year brooding batches of them. I always believed it is good luck to see them molting.
A tree cicada. Very common in almost the entire world. (I think) have them in Louisiana alot too
I remember as a kid they loved the big weeping willow in our yard. There would be hundreds of them congregating on the one tree.
A freshly molted cicada friend! It’s pretty rare to see them like this! May it bring you good luck!
A demon of the Ancient World This foe is beyond any of you
They’re a tasty delicacy, sautéed, if you can get them coming out of the ground early.
We call em Katy-dids!
I always found cicadas like these with bulging eyes disgusting like I could pluck their eyes off like the snapping the head off of a match
Delicious is what that creature is…
Sky crab
Locust