Cicada Collection

Living on a farm in Alabama, I often come across wildlife in various stages of the lifecycle: ⁣

Does trailing quietly behind their protective mothers, outgrown antlers shed each spring, and a seemingly infinite number of cicada exoskeletons. ⁣

A rare phenomenon known as a “Cicada Double Brood” occurred earlier this year. Billions of cicadas emerged across the American South and Midwest from April to June as the 13- and 17-year cycles of two different broods synchronized for the first time since 1803. For months, the low, constant hum of countless wings filled the air as they shed their exoskeletons and began the next chapter of their life’s journey anew. ⁣

In the words of Henry David Thoreau, the signs of life that I’ve collected over the years serve as a reminder to “live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”