It looks like a cicada.

See:

https://toddhensonphotography.com/blog/cicada-casing-on-tree

Apparently there is a "Brood X" event this year.

See:

https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/animals-we-protect/what-to-know-about-brood-x-cicadas/

Thanks Longleaf. A brood X event this year? I've experienced that in Nashville, Tennessee about 15 years ago. It was a very surreal & bizarre experience. Not one I care to repeat.

yep longleaf is correct its the larval skin of a cicada after emerging.

Different species and there are over 3,000 species, have different larval stages, some have a 13 yr cycle others 17 yrs. There are 100's that have a 1 yr cycle.

I can't even describe how this event went down in Nashville. Try to envision thick black clouds wafting through the streets. Not clouds, it's swarms of cicadas. The trees all bent over from their weight. They get in your hair, go down your shirt, in your mouth, down the chimney, in your car and everywhere imaginable. They all buzz in sync and sound like a UFO and deafening. Then in a couple days, you have to clean up millions upon millions of dead cicadas before they begin to stink. On the upside they don't bite or sting or do any real damage. Just millions of them all at once crunching under your feet. Do you get these in the UK?

In another three to four weeks the annual cicadas will emerge. The larger annuals have wings with green veins and the 17 year ones have orange wing veins. The annuals emergent numbers are much lower so there will be less noise. Both serve the purpose of being nature’s tree pruners as a result of their egg laying process.

Never seen them in the UK - they sound harmless though!

Thank goodness that we don't have them in the UK. I have seen a film of this event on TV, I saw them all being swept up after the swarm, incredible!

Yes very incredible Ff. Few things are better than scraping splattered bugs off your car windshield.