The Graceful Little Alien by Chipka
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
Annual cicadas, like their 17-year cousins are strangely defenseless creatures. They don’t sting. They don’t bite. As adults, they don’t live for very long. They are gentle and often slow-moving creatures. They buzz like ill-maintained helicopters, when they fly, and to see one in flight is rather like watching a rogue punctuation mark moving from one sentence to another.
Annual cicadas are common in the Midwestern United States. They are more often heard than seen, and when they are seen, they are mistaken for creatures of another sort. It is common for those in the windy city to view them as monsters, as intimidating and dangerous things. They are, of course, neither of those. They can be a bit rude at times. In their mind the concept of human translates into little more than a convenient place to perch and steal a bit of sunlight.
They live underground during their infant lives. Like other insects, their life cycle is tripartite in nature. They begin as eggs, lain in loose soil. When they hatch, they are wingless versions of their adult forms, endowed with enormous crab-like pincers that they use to grab onto roots. When they reach their adult phase, they emerge from the ground and find convenient trees on which to molt. Their infant skins split along the back, rather like a wetsuit unzipping. Their bodies flex with slow, rhythmic grace until their wet wings unfurl. They lose their pincers as they emerge from the husks of their infancy.
Though their adult drives center on reproduction and they rattle and buzz like strange machines, they are Zen-like. To spot an adult sunning itself is to recognize contemplative calm. If woodlice (bench biters?) are sometimes-rogue garden helpers, then cicadas are pacifists, interested only in their own, cryptic concerns. They are social to a degree, but far from gregarious. Their only defense lies in their number. Birds and mammals find them tasty, other predatory insects (with the possible exception of yellowjackets) find them too big to handle, too well armored, though it isn’t armor that protects them so much as simple chitinous skin, rendered felt-like with fine (and yes, incredibly soft) hairs.
I am quite fond of them, and it’s only been recently that I have had the chance to photograph them.
This specimen was found sunning itself on a bush outside of Quest Internet Services. I suspect it was a female, though I am unsure. The males were in higher tree branches, making their normal rattling/buzzing racket. This one was content to simply bask in dappled sunlight and listen, and I was content to photograph it.
As always, thank you for viewing and reading, and commenting. It always means a lot. And it's best to zoom in on this little beauty, as there are more details to see up close.
Comments (29)
Wonderful picture captured by you my friend. Thank you for sharing.
Truly amazing to see this close. I take a fancy to the little red headlight, and the splendid Chrysler radiator grill structure below. And Oh to have your way with words, Chip!
Little Yoda reincarnated... Hehe... Wonderful capture of this lovely little alien Chip and a delight to read your words! :)
What a buzz!
Great photo and wonderful description - Thanks for sharing!
They are quite interesting creatures. Usually i see them in small quanities yearly except for two year ago on the seven year mark when they came out in DROVES! There is a Was that preys on them call Cicada Killers. Huge horents with a black base and yellow stripes. They sting/stun them and drag then to their underground homes to feed their future children. Excellent capture!!!
They certainly do look alien or prehistoric! Great capture and narrative, as always, Chip!
I've never seen a cicada, though I hear them all the time. You give us an up close and personal vision. And the information you pass along is amazing--only you can make it so interesting. I probably heard the same stuff in school ---only to either fall asleep or create some wonderful daydream about the guy two rows up. (well, actually, it would have had have been across the campus, past the elementary school, and through a huge parking lot since I went to an all girl's high school, but that doesn't sound quite as romantic!!)
Awesome job on the description and the very cool photo :)
I dont know how you do it, but after reading about this little alien, It is like more personal than before. It is such a cute "portrait" and a very interesting and amazing info.
Excellent photo!
wonderful photo!!
I really love how you wind a story behind the story. A true vision-full talent. Thanks!
TERRIFIC MACRO...+5 FAV
a nice alien!
You are the only person who can get me to zoom on a bug shot and actually enjoy it!
Ugly bug, stellar capyure and outstanding narrative. Dana
Ghastly little face buy you've done it so well. :-) awesome macro.
I'm in complete agreement with Andrea. The red light and grill like structure are wonderful! I think she has a cute face. I know very little about insects but I'm learning. I would never have thought I would open a picture of an insect and think, "Oh, what a cute little face." Excellent macro! Wonderful narrative! Full to the brim with facts, but a fascinating and absorbing read from beginning to end!
I know what this is. It's one of those...those...those...things you are so fond of making photos of. There's kind of a Gil Grissom thing going on here, only without the dead bodies (or did you just crop them out?) This looks a little bit like the ship in Fantastic Voyage, bundled up with some kind of weird...uh...uh...otherworldly helecopter. Andrea is right, that mouth part does look kind of like it has a Chrysler grille, 1937 or so. Or maybe it's a DeSoto. And let's not forget a touch of the creature in ET...and...what the heck is this thing, anyway. When you look at the screen from the side, it looks like some weird Rorschach blot, though I never knew those things to move, as you describe this one doing. Once again a wonderful picture, as usual, and also as usual, I have no idea what kind of living thing I'm looking at. And I'm surprised you didn't take it home with you. Or did you?
I've never seen a cicada, though I hear much talk about them on commentary that reaches us from the states. This is my first really good look of one. This one comes across as a junebug that, well, got into some steroids somehow. I can only imagine what their mating noises must be like. But what a mug. His/her expression (if one can call it that) seems to be of the "what, me worry" vain. Not surprising given that their adult life expectancy is only a few weeks. Though, why do I think that this cat could do well as a door to door salesman? I love the great deal you put into the write up here. It is like delving into a secret universe.
Thanks for the excellent head-on photo and rundown on these easy-going critters. They like my neighborhood and yard very much. I find their empty skins on my trees and under my wooden, back deck. Summertime we're always loudly sung to by these little guys. It is funny, but as loud as they are, you soon don't notice the racket as it just becomes a routine part of the local ambiance.
It does look very alien-like. I have heard them, but never seen one.
A big thank you, my friend, for this wonderful presentation of enthomologie on cicadas. In France, it has invaded every region of the south mediterranean, and they are the charming summer nights. cicadas crickets you are very appreciated in France, for their diurnal or nocturnal songs also are a symbol of Pais and tranquility of nature hurt! BEAUTIFUL picture!
wow, quite a nice macro. Love the warm rich light, considering the weather of late, and as usual your magnificent and poetic ruminations add to the warm lazy feel.
Oh, he's so ugly he's adorable. Fantastic shot. CC
The sound of cicadas conjures up eternal summer to me, I can't get enough of it...and at present it's our turn, in the land 'Down-Under'. I find it very soothing to the mind... and so is your story and some of the extra details, I wasn't aware of, learning something new every time I read your explanations, thanks for the free lessons. BB
Have never seen one this close up...and it does look Yoda like..enjoyed your informative narrative..
I wish we had cicadas here - never saw one in the wild. Great shot- - really alien-like view.