Thursday, August 12, 2010

Cicadas..s...s...

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On a recent visit to Shikoku, Japan I found myself bathed in cicada songs. In Japan the biodiversity of cicadas is quite something in terms of size, coloration, and indeed song. Some even sound like birds calling! Occasionally one could spot a cicada (like to the right), but it was tricky as they are usually either very well camouflaged, very high up a tree, or both.

Finding their old clothes, however, was much easier. Hanging lightly on tree bark and across the ground their molted husks from being a pupae could be easily spotted, delicate but colored like amber.

AY

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