Posted in Bugs, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, tagged 17 year cicada, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, cicada, Magicicada septendecim, Manassas VA on May 30, 2013| 2 Comments »
After spending most of their lives underground as nymphs, the 17 year cicadas (Magicicada septendecim) spend the few weeks of their adult lives looking for love. The males are very loud in their “singing” as they seek to attract females. I watched one cicada couple go through a very brief introduction and courtship phase and then suddenly they were mating.
I guess that you have to move quickly when your days are numbered.
Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Bugs, Insects, Nature, Photography, tagged Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, cicada, Magicicada septendecim, Manassas VA on May 29, 2013| 1 Comment »
What do you get when you place two six year old boys in an outdoor environment filled with cicadas? You get a whole lot of energy and excitement. One of the boys came running up to me with a cicada perched on his fingertip and almost desperately asked me to take his picture. How could I refuse a request like that?
I decided that the best backdrop for the cicada was the colorful t-shirt that he was wearing. I am not sure exactly what was displayed on the shirt, but it seemed to be some sort of monsters and superheroes, which somehow seemed to be appropriate. Be sure to click on the photo to get a higher resolution of the cicada, which is a really cool-looking insect (in a slightly creepy way).
Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Bugs, Flowers, Gardening, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, tagged Brood II, Canon 100mm macro lens, Canon Rebel XT, cicada, iris, Magicicada septendecim, Manassas VA on May 27, 2013| 8 Comments »
Like Paul Revere’s call in 1775, the cry went out in early May, “The cicadas are coming, the cicadas are coming.” After 17 years in the ground, the cicadas of Brood II (Magicicada septendecim) were coming back in force. The Washington Post ran a story with the sensationalist headline of “Bug-phobic dread the looming swarm of Brood II cicadas” and hysteric anticipation gripped the metro D.C. area.
Like most of the snowstorms forecast in this area, the invasion of the cicadas has been underwhelming. I had not seen a single cicada until I traveled to Manssas, VA for a cookout and the got to see and hear a large number of these scarey-looking insects. Apparently we are past the peak moments, but the noise in some places was just short of deafening and there were some bushes that were covered with the giant insects.
I was struck by the contrast between the fierce look of this cicada and the delicate beauty of the purple iris on which he was perched.
Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 