Cicada exuvia (shed nymphal skin)

The nymph lived underground among tree or shrub roots; it emerged and shed this skin on a vertical surface such as a wall, trunk, or post.

Nymphs suck xylem fluid from plant roots. Adults feed sparingly on plant fluids and generally cause little damage.

After several years underground, the nymph emerges at night, climbs upward, and molts into a winged adult, leaving this hollow brown exoskeleton behind. Adults sing, mate, and lay eggs in woody vegetation.

Harmless to people and pets; the empty skin cannot bite or sting. Cicadas provide food for wildlife and aerate soil, though heavy emergences may stress young trees.