Cicada

While playing in the park, this cicada fluttered down onto my son's back. He was startled at first, but his natural curiosity won out and he quickly picked it up to show everyone in sight.

It was getting late in the afternoon, and the light wasn't good so I was forced to use the flash. Too bad, as this fellow has beautiful markings. Unlike some insects which are too small to observe detail without magnification, these are as big as a child's finger, so they're easy to observe.

This cicada seemed content to rest on my son's fingers for a bit, then we transferred him to a nearby tree. I don't know much about them, other than my Mum always called them singers. They don't appear to bite; I've handled many of them. They all have a strange beauty about them. Maybe it's those perfectly clear faery wings...