I have always wanted to shoot the emergence of a cicada from its pupa. This morning, I happened to notice one crawling slowly up the outside wall of our house by the back garage door. Though the weather was drizzly and gray, I decided to commit to the project. So while the rain fell, I clicked away as the cicada slowly came out. Just as it finished, the rain POURED, which sent me back inside the garage fast. The roof eave mostly kept me dry during the half-hour shoot, but I still got dripped on.
The emergence started with a tiny crack on the topmost, backside of the pupa. I didn't get back with my camera soon enough to shoot that. Also, keep in mind that the cicada is working on a vertical plane. Every now and then, it would tremble and shake slightly as it strained to get out...
The eyes are coming out...
Now the legs and wings....
Stretching its legs...
Preparing to latch onto the shell...
Latching on!
It's time to GET OUT!
The cicada moved very quickly during this sequence....
It's OUT!
I checked on the cicada later and shot this photo below.............
7 comments:
This is the coolest set of pictures. I've watched them emerge before, as a kid, but its so neat to have a more permanent view!
Wow! Those are great photos. I'm glad that you took the time to do it.
Beautiful photos. The colors are wonderful. I love seeing this cicada emerge.
Absolutely AWESOME photographs!!! Thank you.
I have a Wildscape in Lago Vista and was trained as a National Wildlife Federation Habitat Steward in 2001. My, how far we've come.
I've been time traveling backwards through your blog, it's wonderful.
Out of time today but will be back to visit.
Jane
Thank y'all so much for the nice nice comments!!!!
I miss Texas so much and the sound of the cicadas... they used to dive bomb us mail carriers and either pee, or spit, on us, not sure which. As a kid, I would collect the shells that were stuck on every wall & tree. My fave bug next to praying mantis... THANK-YOU for sharing this most amazing emergence. Your photos capture the immense beauty we still have in our troubled world.
Hey, thank YOU for visiting! And you need to get back to Texas real soon! Take care and come back here soon!
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