A Chia pet??? I hardly think so....
But we had "3" smart Wizards that figured out the mystery!!
You shall find out below....
Last week was a creepy one that is for sure. But my Wednesday Wizards put their pointy hats on and gave it some good thought! Lots of great answers! The images I had to use were re-sized to begin with so to just crop out a small piece to give you a hint, made some of the images a bit blurry, but you still made it through! You are getting smarter each week!
Here are just a few of the great and imaginative answers we had last Wednesday...
butterflies emerging from there chrysalis (this was very close), a moth, a fly or horse fly, a beetle (didn't give a name, so I am assuming a crawly type not the singing type, *snort*) bees, wasps (ugghh, my mortal enemies!) a caterpillar, blackberries ( I thought this one really showed imagination, as I could easily take a photo in a goofy manner and decide to post it) china berry and poke plant were a few others.
Our three Winning Wednesday Wizards are in no particular order :
and the ever present and knowledgeable
(and a very sweet lady )
So what did they guess???
See below if you dare!
Meet the 17 year cicada!
I am sure many of you have heard them on a hot sultry day the loud buzz as if the electric wires were on fire from within. That is Mr. Cicada calling for a Mrs!
Instead of using throats and lungs to sing, these insects make sounds using other specialized parts on the skeleton on the outside of the body.I am sure many of you have heard them on a hot sultry day the loud buzz as if the electric wires were on fire from within. That is Mr. Cicada calling for a Mrs!
Because they are cold blooded, insects need hot days to warm up their instruments. You won't hear them on a cool morning. But if you listen, you will notice them around midday. By late afternoon or early evening, more insects will have joined the chorus. A cicada is 1 to 2 inches long, with a blunt head and clear wings. Similar to true bugs, it has a mouth-part for sucking. Like a drinking straw with a sharp end, the cicada's mouth-part can pierce a woody plant and suck up sap.
colorful cicadas on a variegated barberry bush
click for a larger view,
please ask if you would like a copy to share
Did you find my creepy bug story interesting? I have experienced the 17 year cicadas twice since we lived here, and I still find them fascinating. Plus the fact that they are one insect that does not care to eat me for lunch helps a lot!
I did a post on the 24th about the nasty weather that blew through here. I am aware that lots of other areas as well have been dealing with floods and other of Mother Natures temper tantrums (my thoughts are with you)... I posted a few photos from my yard and what Mother Nature decided to prune and clear out. (I left that a clickable link in case you want easy access to go back and read it) If you would like me to post part two of the story next week along with regular Wednesday post, please leave a comment along with your guess for this weeks clue. Mr. Linky is also below for those that play along. You can also visit our wonderful Wizards and see what goodies they have to offer this week as well.
Now for this weeks clues...
click for a larger view,
please ask if you would like a copy to share
The female cicada has an ovipositor folded under her abdomen. She uses it to slice into the tip of a branch and deposit eggs inside.
After the eggs hatch, the young cicadas (called nymphs) drop to the ground and use special front legs to tunnel into the soil. Underground, they feed on root sap and grow in dark burrows for many years (on average of 13 to 17, ours belong to the periodical cicadas if the genus Magicicada 17 year Brood XIII). They are not locust but Orthoptera.
Each cicada crawls out of the ground and up onto a tree or other woody plant. Then the cicada nymph inflates itself with air, moisture, and blood, splitting open its exoskeleton. They leave a pretty good size hole behind too. Eventually, the grown-up cicada emerges and leaves its exoskeleton on the bark or leaf or where ever it happens to crawl out! It then has to rest and dry out, much as a butterfly. They do not seem afraid , we have touched them and picked them up and put them down somewhere else, and they do not seem to care. The exoskeleton is crunchy after it dries too.
Males begin to call for a mate, and females listen for their courting call. After mating and laying eggs and living the good life for about 2 weeks the adults die. Sounds like a real romantic life doesn't it....
If you look closely in this photo you can see both the exoskeleton and many drying and lively meeting pairs of cicadas. This growing echinacea (purple cone flower) is one hopping dating joint! You can click on the photos for larger view.
Talk about showoffs and loud mouths, males cicadas are one of the loudest insects around! An African cicada was recorded at 106.7 decibels (as loud as a chain saw) at 1 meter.
Their noisy love song starts in stiff but flexible ribs found in parts called timbals. Only males have a pair of timbals: one on each side, under our wings.
When they want to attract a female, they lower their abdomen and puff it out. Then use the timbal muscles to pull in the timbals. The timbals buckle like a squeezed pop can. One at a time, each little rib on the timbal makes a quick sound. When these muscles relax, the timbals pop back out. Timbals pop out and in many times very fast. So that is where that loud electric buzzing sound is coming from.
Scientists 'think' cicadas can change the amount of air in the expanded abdomen and it changes the pitch and makes the sound louder, but it is still a secret yet.
On the underside, males have two tympana. They use them like amplifiers to make the sound go far. To do this, they have to open up opercula, flaps that cover and protect their tympana. (sounds like a regular rhythm section!)
Females don't have timbals, but they do have tympana. They use them to hear the mating calls. So these guys may be small, but they have a really cool way to make awesome, loud sounds, and I think they are quite vivid looking too!
Hello there. Are you to be my sweetheart?
I did a post on the 24th about the nasty weather that blew through here. I am aware that lots of other areas as well have been dealing with floods and other of Mother Natures temper tantrums (my thoughts are with you)... I posted a few photos from my yard and what Mother Nature decided to prune and clear out. (I left that a clickable link in case you want easy access to go back and read it) If you would like me to post part two of the story next week along with regular Wednesday post, please leave a comment along with your guess for this weeks clue. Mr. Linky is also below for those that play along. You can also visit our wonderful Wizards and see what goodies they have to offer this week as well.
Now for this weeks clues...
Enjoy your week everyone. I hope to 'see' you during of course, and if you leave a comment I will be sure to leave a nice one on yours as well. If you would like to use any of my photos, please do not take without asking, I am happy to share with a link back and proper credit in kind. I'm looking forward to some good answers and don't forget to also reply if you would like to hear about part two of what happened here in my wild cheesy acre.
Until next time...