brood x

I saw the first cicadas in my yard today. I did notice them earlier in the year- weeks ago when planting some perennials in the yard, when I scraped a layer of moss and cleared grass from an area, there were numerous holes exposed- and in some I saw the cicada nymphs' heads pulling back out of sight. I've come across these a few times in prior years, but never so many, grouped so close together, and it was nearly every spot I dug for planting this spring. Well, they're emerging now. I found one on a wall near the garden but the lighting was poor so I coaxed it onto my hand.

The cicada wouldn't pause, constantly crawling, and when it dropped to the ground, it marched over my foot.

I'm not afraid of these insects anymore. I still find their exoskeletons rather creepy, but not the cicadas themselves. Maybe because these ones appear smaller than ones I've seen before, they are kinda cute. They have orange eyes and yellow-orange legs and wing structures. It's the seventeen-year cicada, "brood x" or Magicicada septendecim.