I’m about as far from “outdoorsy” as a person can get, so photographing cicadas was REALLY out of my comfort zone!  I hate bugs of any kind – with the exception of maybe butterflies!  When I heard that Brood II was emerging from their 17 year underground snooze, I wasn’t at all happy.  I was so hoping that I wouldn’t encounter the prehistoric looking creatures, but alas, they arrived in my yard last week.  I vowed not to go outside again until they were gone…which could be as much as 6-8 weeks from now.  Not a very practical plan, I must say!  I decided that the best way to face my fear was to research the amazing life cycle of these creatures and put on my photographer hat and try to capture their ‘beauty’.  So, with macro lens in hand, I ventured into the yard and snapped a few photos…all the while hoping and praying that none would fly at me as I was taking their portrait.  The brownish cicada on the bottom right is the nymph which is what emerges from holes in the ground and eventually morphs into the winged adult cicada pictured above.  The adults live only 2-4 weeks and begin their mating ritual by singing songs of courtship to attract females.  The female can lay up to 400 eggs in twigs or tree branches and after 8-10 weeks, they hatch and baby nymphs fall to the ground where they burrow and live for the next 17 years.  Okay, I admit that it is all pretty interesting and hopefully I will be able to view the experience and not be terrified!  Feel free to share YOUR cicada stories with me!