Aha, they're coming to get you. Too late to run for the hills now...

it looks like a cast skin of an insect. possibly a cicad or a beetle.

Doesn't look 'horrible' to me just interesting!

Bath look at my latest blog it's all there, the title of it is "Aristotle Was Fond Of Eating This..." I posted it on August 19

Loose, not a chance in hell I'm eating this. Thanks!

I have seen the adult cicadas emerging from those skins. It's fascinating...but I ain't eatin' none of 'em, neither!! :)

lol just the thought triggers my gag reflex. Thanks for the explanation.

Trust MG to describe it as "interesting " !

I agree. Cicadas are fascinating bugs. They live underground as a beetle for 7 years feeding on roots. After 7 years, they emerge, climb up something and shed their exoskeleton (that's what this is). What emerges is a huge ugly fly that buzzes around for a couple weeks looking for a mate. When the female lays her eggs, the babies burrow underground for another 7 years. She drops dead.

different species have different lengths of time for their life cycles. there is one that has a 22 yr 'below' ground stage they are not beetles but proper bugs [hemiptera] beetles are coleptera.

Bugs have piercing mouthparts and feed by sucking out contents. Aphids are true bugs as they are sap suckers.

The regularity of cicad emergence gave rise to the term 'circadian rhythm'.

;o)You Americans confuse the heck out of British kids with your use of bug for general term for insects haha :o)
Thanks Disney for bugs life :o))
you have no idea how hard it is to get stidents to understand biological classification.

Thanks for your fascinating facts. You've made some very interesting points. Can you please check out my latest posting about the praying mantis? I posted a couple pics I'm sure you will like. I'd love to hear what you have to say. :)

have done Bathgate :o)

thanks he's still out there praying!

Well, Bathgate, if we never hear from you again, we'll fear the worst - that they came for you and got you!

OMG Sounds like a Sci Fi movie. I think I found the noisy bug.

Quite elegant, aren't they? In the species here in Phoenix, those green wing veins are ivory in color. The species common along the Colorado River and Green River drainages has showy scarlet veins--and a harsh, clacking castanet-like song! :}

Scarlet wings? That must be a sight to see. These make a super loud quivering hiss sound. Sometimes I'll have several in my yard going simultaneously. They only live a week or two once they emerge.

Ours make an interminable high pitched buzzing, like a game show buzzer gone awry, all Monsoon season long. By September we are all doggedly resisting the impulse to shoot all the foliage off the shade trees with 12 bores. Also by then, many of those trees are showing "flags", dead twigs caused by the females chiseling holes in the twigs to lay their eggs. I don't know what the length of the life cycle is in our species, but there are at least some out every year.

There are some interesting ones down in Tennessee that live for 17 years. They sound like a UFO landed in the backyard.

Just changed my mind about thinking it would be nice to have some here!

For me, it's one of the sounds of summer. I would miss them if they disappeared. They really don't bother anybody.