There are actually two major species of cicada in Illinois, and thus, in Chicago. We have annual or “dogday” cicadas; they emerge yearly and fill the air with their distinctive, operatic stridulations in late summer and very early autumn. We also have periodic cicadas who emerge from their tunnels every 13 or 17 years; it takes them a lot longer to get dressed. In terms of periodic cicadas, there is some significance to the fact that both 13 and 17 are prime numbers, and there are all sorts of odd, mathematical equations that illuminate some aspect of cicada existence, while concurrently failing to explain why such creatures emerge, en-mass in so meticulously synchronized a way. I’m far more familiar with the annual cicadas, the “dogday” cicadas that are the mascots of summer. Their endless, epic buzzing songs evoke memories of hot, lazy days. Despite their incredible volume, cicada songs are immensely relaxing. They’re a kind of white noise, perfect for obliterating the more crass and disturbing sounds of any Midwestern city. I found this particular cicada as I meandered in search for a barber shop. I was rather pleased that I was able to get so close and nab so detailed a shot: cicadas seem to prefer treetops to the lower branches. He was moving rather quickly—by cicada standards—upward, and was positioned rather far from decent camera range. With a bit of finagling, I was able to coax him onto a lower branch…gently grabbing a cicada works perfectly in terms of posing the almost-cooperative model. I didn’t realize that this one had such a downy-soft white belly, until I took this shot. I didn’t realize he was male, until I gave a very, very gentle squeeze and was rewarded with a rattling fragment of a cicada song for my efforts. I believe the stridulating operatic fragment of the song I heard was “Phrase # 10,881” of the Grand Cicadian Opera, first performed by Fth’ta’aa, the Babylonian, back in 8-Million BCE, on a Tuesday. Why he is recognized as “the Babylonian” is beyond me, since there was no Babylon back in 8-Million BCE…or was there? Was Babylon originally a Cicada city? One may never know, as cicadas are not in the habit of actually explaining anything to you. They have more pressing matters. I do know, however, that cicadas have been adding to Fth’ta’aa’s magnum opus for centuries now, and it’s quite extravagantly complex, and performed only once per year. As I write this, I’m sitting at Corey’s place, listening to a charming tree-top quartet; they’re rather exuberant, and in competition with a few other insectoid performance artists of a more cricket-ish breed. They are in the midst of a deliciously complicated performance: it’s almost polyphonic, in a rattling-insect sort of way. I believe it’s one of those new free interpretations of the Fth’ta’aa original. It’s rather exciting. So avant-garde. As always, thank you for viewing, and reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a great weekend.