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As a mom of four boys, I have become quite the Entomologist.  My boys are typically fascinated with every naturally occurring thing on Earth.  We would discover the most unusual bugs. Like, an arachnid that looked like half scorpion and spider.  It didn't have a stinger but, it ran super fast and scared the heck out of me.

My second son, in particular,  is an amazing character.  I call him my "Huckleberry Finn Boy" because he spends all of his time outdoors wandering around barefoot.  He has this freaking talent for finding the smallest and most interesting things.  A lot of the time it's discovering unusual bugs and insects.  We frequently go to the Internet to learn about the nature of the things he brings home or discovers.  He is on a quest to discover the most unusual insect. 

On this particular morning,  I was out watering the garden when my son came out and walked into a strange looking bug crawling slowly on the patio.  This insect looked like it was a shiny, emerald colored larva with four legs and crab claws for hands! 

They kept running around and hollering, "Is it an alien insect from outer space? Is it an Alien insect, Is it an Alien insect?"   We quickly scooped it up in a cup and watched it.  Wondering what the heck it was.   I had no clue.   It was the creepiest bug  I had ever seen.  I've seen many.

So, I told them we would try and research it on ask.com.  As I scoured the Internet, searching for what kind of bug it was.  When my son came screaming upstairs yelling,  "It's moulting, it's crawling out of its skin!"

Eww.  Great, now it has wings.  Put a lid on it before it starts to fly around my house.

We found out it was a North American Cicada. They are those loud singing summer bugs you hear when it is especially hot.  Their song can be 120db loud.   It also stays underground  for 17 Years!!  With this sudden heat wave.  I guess it decided it was time to crawl out.

Apparently, the "bug watchers" document "the broods"  that are deposited underground and calculate the amount of time for it to emerge. Ours was deposited sometime around 1957. 

It made us remember about the time he brought home a silk worm.  We watched it live through it's life cycle.  From, being a silk worm, eating mulberry leaves to spinning its silk cocoon.  When it  emerged from it's cocoon it was a beautiful powdery white moth with fern like antenna.  It was beautiful.

 We learned that silkworms only live on Mulberry trees. When they turn to adult moths they don't eat, they procreate and then, die.  Our silkworm moth passed away.  We still have her as a pretty, powdery-white specimen sitting on a leaf.  Like, in a museum on a shelf.  Next to their very extensive mineral and rock collection. (all typical boy collections)

Did you know those large hovering insects we call "mosquito hawks" aren't mosquito hawks at all.  They are harmless.  They don't even eat mosquito's. They don't eat anything.  They don't have the mouth parts.  They are called Crane Flies.  They emerge as adults, procreate and die.  Just like the Silk Worm moth. 

 We let our Cicada free.  Into the tree where it was supposed to go.  He was very excited to know that  he discovered a very unusual bug.  He had to take some pictures to document his new discovery.