Summer Rain

[norm]

It was raining pretty hard last night and we usually get alot of visitors to the back porch when that happens, so I went outside with the camera.

Rainy night

House Gecko? (about 5 inches, one of the longer ones I've seen)

I don't know what this beast was, but it was dead when I got there.

Frog. Whatever kind this is, they swarm on my bedroom window almost every night.

Grasshopper. No scale, but this guy was about 4 inches long.

 

[Nanci]

I think the dead thing is a cicada, and the "grasshopper" is a katydid. I want frogs and geckos on my house! And a new grill.

 

[norm]

That's why I love posting here. I get diagnostics on all the creatures in my yard!!! I'm going to go read about Katydids now...

 

[Jeff Linkchorst]

that house gecko is gravid... you can see the eggs. thats cool .

 

[tom e]

And the frog is a green tree frog! Cool pics.

 

[Drizzt80]

that house gecko is gravid... you can see the eggs. thats cool .

I second that! Nice looking gecko at that.

D80

 

[Nanci]

I thought the gecko had a milk belly from nursing, that's what it looked like to me!

 

[Drizzt80]

. . . milk belly from nursing, . . .

Now that's funny right thar!! Lizards . . . nursing.

:roflmao:

Greg Focker: You can milk just about anything with nipples.
Jack Byrnes: I have nipples, Greg, could you milk me?

D80

 

[zeewhiz]

those cicadas are wicked cool. they live under ground for something like 15 years, emerge, shed once, breed, then die. we have them this year, and last time I remeber seeing them was when I was 8. i used to collect the shed exoskeletons. I got me a nice one this year too!

 

[Voodoo]

Yep, like others have said, that insect you found is a cicada. They are really fascinating creatures. The Eastern North American species, Magicicada, lives for 17 years (or sometimes 13 years) underground, feeding on root juices. In the spring of the 17th (or 13th) year, the cicadas dig an exit tunnel, molt on nearby plants, and head for the trees. Once in the trees, they begin singing to attract mates. The cicada is one of the loudest insects on earth.

Once they breed, the female uses a sharp projection on her rear to make slits in the branches of trees. She lays her eggs in these slits. The female can breed several times and lay multiple clutches of eggs. But after about 6 weeks or so after their initial mass emergence, the cicadas begin to die. The larvae hatch and fall to the ground. They then burrow underground, and the process begins all over again.

The really interesting thing about them is that their emergence cycles are set up so that their main predators (praying mantis and and the cicada killer wasp) cannot regularly fall into synchrony with the cicadas. Both 13 and 17 are prime numbers, so while a cicada with a 15 year life cycle could be preyed upon by a predator with a three or five year life cycle, the 13 and 17 year cycles allow them to stop the predators falling into step. Cool, huh?

Anyway, enough with my nature show presentation. LOL.

 

[norm]

That is so cool. I'm going to do one of these again sometime with different creatures from my yard!

 

[kimbyra]

Sweet pics!
Cheers!

 

[tradernick]

Wow Voodoo, great information. And an interesting sig too. I'll bet there's a cool story there, somewhere.

 

[snakemom1961]

Those are great pics. Thanks for sharing.

Many years ago when my kids were young (4 and 6 I think) cicada's hatched in our yard. We were extremely lucky enough to find a few that were just starting to hatch out and watch the whole process. It truly was amazing to watch. I tried getting pictures at the time, but only had a crappy cheapo camera so they didn't really turn out. Gotta love nature though.
Again, thanks for sharing

 

[Voodoo]

Wow Voodoo, great information. And an interesting sig too. I'll bet there's a cool story there, somewhere.

Thanks.. hahaha.... and yes, my sig has a long history and powerful meaning, which I am not fully at liberty to discuss here without hijacking a thread.

 

[Jay@PJCReptiles]

Great pictures Norm. That house Gecko is very nice.
I do have one question though. Whos foot is this? Froto Baggins? :grin01: :sidestep:
Jay

 

[norm]

Yes, I had a foot double come in for that shot. My feet are actually very nice. I'm a foot model in my spare time.

 

[Lynnea]

Very cool pics and fascinating info re cicadas. I've found intact cicada "sheds" before over the years; I love listening to them.

Well Norm, all I can say is that you're lucky to be able to go herping without even leaving home--!

 

[tom e]

I have very fond memories of sitting in the woods in Korea and listening to the cicadas singing. Later after they've bred and they're dying off, they are a little more scary. They sort of dive bomb at everything (or just can't control flight very well).. Wind up on their backs sort of buzzing in circles. Very neat bugs though..