74 NEBRASKAland • OCTOBER 2014
Squirrel and Cicadas
L
ast summer I was traveling around Lake Maloney State Recreation Area near North
Platte when I ventured by a massive cottonwood tree covered with cicada shells.
Intrigued, I took a closer look at the newly abandoned exoskeletons that lined
the tree on every branch. Along with the shells there were several cicadas in the
molting process, and the ground was scattered with holes where the insects had dug
themselves up from their underground homes emerging only for their final nymphal stage –
struggling to make their way to the tree to shed their skins.
While curiously inspecting the cicada a squirrel caught my eye from the crotch of the
cottonwood; the squirrel stayed motionless as I pulled my camera around
to capture some photos. Then in a blink of an eye it scooped up a freshly
emerged cicada, ran to a hefty branch and started to consume the cicada.
"What a smorgasbord for this crafty little squirrel," I thought. For a
month or so the squirrel will have a fine cuisine of cicada. They must be
tasty because that squirrel kept coming back for more.
Julie Geiser
July 1, 2014
