I took this cicada photo during my last visit to Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, where my friend Steve Creek pointed the cicada out to me.

Cicada clinging to grass, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, OklahomaCicada clinging to grass – Canon R7, handheld, f8, 1/800, ISO 1250, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light

Steve and I were walking one of the side roads at the refuge, when he spotted the winged insect clinging to a grass stalk.

We approached the cicada slowly on foot, inching closer because cicadas are prone to flying off easily. But this cicada? It wasn’t bothered by our presence at all, for whatever reason.

I know I took more than a hundred images of this cicada, and when I found the angle that worked for this photo, I knew this was the image I wanted to share here.

The old spider web in the photo highlights the graphic lines present in this frame.

I’m not sure which cicada species this one belongs to. Oklahoma is home to several species of cicadas, including both annual and periodical varieties. The exact number of species can vary, so I decided not to pull my hair out trying to identify this one.

I uploaded this image to iNaturalist yesterday, and hopefully, someone there will help with the identification. Time will tell. If I find out, I will update that information here.

What I found interesting about this cicada are the golden polka-dotted wings, which are more visible on the insect’s left wing.

Even though I didn’t photograph many birds on that visit to the refuge due to strong winds, there were insects around that I enjoyed having in my viewfinder.

This cicada was still clinging to the grass when we walked by on our way back to the main road.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my insect and spider photos plus facts and information about them.