Four #cicada brooches, Eastern Germanic, c. 380-500 CE
silver, copper alloy, iron
Morgan Library display
“#Cicadas symbolized immortality in the ancient world, perhaps because of their seemingly miraculous regeneration after long periods of dormancy. Cicada brooches were worn by women living along the Danube and on the northern shores of the Black Sea. The Goths converted to Christianity in the period after AD 350, and these brooches may have had connotations of spiritual renewal and rebirth.”
The black spots on the Magicicada's cephalothorax are a key to knowing when the cicada is ready to molt. Right now people in the Brood XIII area are finding nymphs with red eyes, but no spots. In Brood XIX most likely has black spots.
some cicadas have symbiotic gut fungus (yes, fungi, not bacteria) that make amino acides for them. These fungi are related to the infamous "zombie" cordyceps fungi.
some cicadas in N. America have gone extinct in recent times, some without having their songs recorded
Last week I finished the small cicada drawing and this week I’m running the prints I will ship to patrons this month! There’s still time to join at the $2/month tier if you’d like one. You can learn more here:
We’ve survived the first week of 2024! Now what’s going to define the year ahead? CICADMANIA of course! Who’s excited for 17 yr and 13 yr periodical cicadas to emerge simultaneously for the first time in 221 y? #cicada#entomology#bugs
Periodical cicadas are large insects that spend most of their lives below ground but emerge en masse to mate.
I saw this on our walk a few days ago. It is the shell of a recently emerged cicada. I don't know the exact species; it seems that there are several species of cicada. Perhaps there is an insect enthusiast among us who can shed further light on the species.
A cicada at the botanical garden needed a little help and affection to recover, and it rewarded us by hanging out with us for ~15 minutes. Later, a green anole was surprisingly bold to just pose for pictures. There was also a water snake by the waterfall in the Japanese Garden, but I failed to get a good picture.
After growing underground for 17 years, the larvae climb into daylight, shed their skin one last time, and go in search of mates as an adult insect. They then live for only a few weeks.
The population that appeared in spring 2021 belongs to "Brood X" ("Brood 10"), also called "Great Eastern Brood". They will be back again in 2038.
Empty suit. Cicadas can spend up to 17 years living underground as nymphs, until they come out and molt their exoskeleton, which is abandoned and empty, but retains its shape.
iPhone 13 mini + homemade macro lens
My other macros in: https://www.instagram.com/mymacrominitips/
Traje vacío. Las cigarras pueden permanecer hasta 17 años viviendo bajo tierra cómo ninfas, hasta que salen al exterior y mudan el exoesqueleto que queda abandonado y vacío, pero conservando su forma.
Leerer Anzug. Zikaden können bis zu 17 Jahre lang unter der Erde als Nymphen leben, bis sie als Erwachsene schlüpfen und ihr Exoskelett ablegen, das verlassen und leer ist, aber seine Form behält.