What bug is this?

I have never in my life seen this bug. Can anyone here I.D. it?

here is another for sizing. my phone measures 2"x4"

Here is a site you can search.

http://www.amentsoc.org/insects/


Zap

Looks like some form of Cicada.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada

Think thats it Pagey!
pretty cool looking, now to read up on it

They have interesting life cycles, depending on the exact species. Some are on a 17 year cycle. We had a group last year that would blast your ears out! Every day you could hear the low hum in the background, which sounded like the saws at the local saw mill running. Fascinating creatures. My younger daughter is always fascinated by the dry shells they leave behind. She used to collect them.

huh, surprised i've never seen one until now. I wonder if they are the one making all of the racket on the heat of a summer day. Kind of a Buzz/clacking sound...the first of the sound bits on wiki resembled what I am trying to describe.

They could very well be your culprit, sir.

We used to tie thread around their back legs and the would fly around and around like a guided line airplane.

This site is not sure other than it's a Cicada.

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/


Zap

Growing up (in upper MI) I didn't see cicadas much, just heard them in the trees. But out here in DC we had the 17-year "brood X" cicadas come out a few years ago, which was something else. They were everywhere, and loud. Fascinating and gross all at once. I've seen a handful of discarded exoskeletons around this year, must be a minor brood.

cicada its definately a cicada

That's funny, my wife brought one in that she found outside and asked me the very same question just a couple days ago. I recognized it as a cicada right away.

HaHa! Did you know what it was because of the thread or had you already acquired that knowledge?!?

When I used to live in Chicago, we would get infested with these every few years--a dozen on every sidewalk square.

On the radio they'd play a folk song about cooking and eating them--apparently they are good dredged in flour and pan fried.

My advice, get them while they are fresh.

From the Wikipedia info. looks like they are edible. Cheap protein source. They recommend the females as a tastier treat.

Amazing what one can learn hanging out here.