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Posted by Tony Parkes on August 30, 2001 at 11:31:10: In Reply to: BIG HUGE FLY posted by Tina on August 21, 2001 at 11:18:51:
What you saw was a cicada. They're the things that make the loud buzzing sound high in the trees in late summer. Some species hatch on a 7 (or even 13) year cycle, others yearly. They spend most of their lives underground, as larvae (big fat white grubs), feeding on roots. They emerge by crawling up a tree trunk usually, where they pupate. It is common to find an empty pupal case stuck on the bark about 3 or 4 feet off the ground. Their adult life is short; they mate, lay eggs, and die. If you found an adult at ground level, it was likely not going to live much longer. I saw one myself last weekend, after probably not seeing one for 5 years. They're amazing to look at, aren't they?
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