Bug Time Again!

Yesterday we had the opportunity to watch a cicada emerging from its shell.  While taking a stroll on the nearby college campus, my son excitedly told me he saw a cicada shell walking.  I turned to tell him that this, of course, couldn't be the case, when I realized that he was indeed seeing a living cicada within its shell.  It was an eerie sight--it looked very dead and yet very alive at the same time.  We took it to Daddy's office to get an explanation of what exactly what going on.  Turns out, we found this baby cicada just in time to see it breaking from its skeleton!  Here's a little photo journey of the exciting process...

Breaking Free

 My husband was very concerned that left in that position, on the bottom of the container, the cicada's wings would not properly form.  So, he helped it out onto the porch rail so it would have more space to grow...

 See the little wings it has to start!

 Watching the wings puff out and form was an amazing process.  See here as they continue to expand.

 Hard to believe that large bug came out of that SMALL shell!

 It took over an hour, but he was finally free and his color started darkening.  (I have no idea if it's a he or she, really, so don't take that comment as truth in regards to gender.)

 And that's the last I saw of it before my one year old daughter brushed him away with a stick into the grass below!  He was too camouflaged to be found thereafter.