#cicada
- every year, the bluebonnets appear, almost overnight. every year, thousands of people flock to them. it bothers you that no one really questions why.
- “how can I help y’all?” the waitress asks, looking over your shoulder. you are the only one in the diner.
- you’ve been driving towards el paso for hours, but you swear the scenery hasn’t changed. out on the horizon, the turbines have stopped spinning.
- y’all come back now, y’ hear? the sign on the highway says, its once-bright paint faded and peeling. this is not a farewell. it’s a warning.
- no one really swims in the lakes. ask anyone why, and they’ll mutter something about the cleanliness or the fish. they won’t meet your eyes.
- you haven’t seen a cicada in years, but their rattling hiss haunts your every step on hot summer days. at least, you hope it’s just the cicadas.
- there are no basements in north texas, despite the tornadoes. folks would rather face the wrath of the skies than what lies beneath the clay.
Perfection - truth in fiction
The sculpture portion of my cicada project. I’ll have the final rendering and layout up tomorrow.
Approx. 4" long; chavant clay, armature wire, and acetate.
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More progress on my cicada project- starting the final rendering of the larvae exoskeleton.
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As someone who lives in the South, seeing jarfly shells covering trees is so common place that we don’t consider it abnormal to see children with handfuls of the curiously shaped brown shells.
Jarfly shells are harmless to touch and handle, and in some countries people actually eat the insects themselves (people who are allergic to shellfish should not do this as a cicada is considered an arthropod). Although anyone who thinks they might want to eat the insects should consult a doctor on the matter first for any other allergies one may unknowingly have for the insects. So why jarfly shells and what do they have to do with magic? For starters, an aspect of Southern Witchcraft is using various things found in nature for spells and rituals, so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that using the shells of an insect would fall into this category. The shells can be kept whole or crushed into a powder for the sake of a spell, though I will say with powdering anything one should wear some form or face mask to not inhale the dust. When we consider the use of a jarfly shell, we should first look at some quick information about the insects themselves.
Jarflies, actually commonly known as cicadas outside of the Appalachians, are a species of arthropod related to leafhoppers and spittlebugs (they are not locusts as some people misunderstand). The jarfly lives underground for the majority of their lives until the mature to young adults, where they dig their way out of the ground to the surface to find a place to shed their final shell, revealing themselves as an adult and securing a mate. They feed on sap from trees as a food source.
Quick information aside, magically jarflies could be looked at as a symbol of growth and rebirth, emerging from darkness underground into the light and being reborn into a final stage of life. Spells that are based around a spiritual or mental rebirth, growing as an individual, starting over, etc are all great platforms for using jarfly shells. Burning a shell can symbolize getting rid of the past and emerging new. Shells can also be used as a symbolic form a shield, as a hardened surface protects the wearer from outside forces. A powder can form a protective barrier, wearing a shell as a jewelry piece can be a personal shield against negativity. The whole point is to understand the symbolism behind the jarfly and mold it’s shells to be used to fit the needs of the spell or ritual.
“Hi everyone, I love and am very interested in insects, especially east asian ones. sadly I have no clue about any of them.
All these photos I took in Japan would love to know what exactly they are.
I have tried to search for insect identification websites (found but nothing comes up when I simply search for “cicada” for example) or a kind of lexica with photos of them all to identify them. no such luck. but i found this here fine website and hope you can help me.
most of them were shot in the island of kyushu, northern region of the island in fukuoka prefecture. some the shield bug is from iwakuni in yamaguchi prefecture
Thank you very much”
Hello, thank you for the very big submission! I’ll work on these as well as I can.
The cicada (Far Right) appears to be a Niiniizemi, Kempfer cicada, Platypleura kaempferi.
The green grasshopper is some close relative of the Atractomorpha genus, possibly Atractomorpha lata (オンブバッタ Onbubata).
The green and gray spider appears to be a male Neoscona scylloides , Comparison photo here.
The slim golden wasp looks much like a “Hosoashinaga-bachi” (Slim long-legged wasp) or Parapolybia indica.
The caterpillar might be a species of Cabbage Looper, but I’ll have to dig a little deeper in the world of caterpillars to find it for sure.
I suspect the shield bug is actually a nymph, but haven’t found a match yet.
The large grasshopper appears to be a type of locust, again they are tricky to ID!
I’ll have to ask around about the beetle too, but it’s very cute.
Thanks so much for the submission!
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The Cicada’s Abdomen (I), 2020| Indigo dyed Cotton, Paper, Tyvek, Wood, Nylon
#indigo #naturaldyeing #folded #naturaldye #cicada #creasepattern #blue #origami #foldedfabric #corrugation #gradient
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKEs0RvJmgH/?igshid=iq2kl4qbx640
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Part of the Cicada’s Abdomen & 3rd Leg, 2020| Old Fustic, Cotton, Paper, Tyvek, Nylon & Wood
#Oldfustic #yellow #naturaldyeing #folded #cotton #naturaldye #cicada #creasepattern #origami #foldedfabric #corrugation #gradient
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGSP4eLpFiO/?igshid=pxy7ox65nkl
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The Cicada’s Abdomen & Thorax, 2020| Old Fustic and Indigo dyed Cotton, Paper, Tyvek, Wood, Nylon
#madder #naturaldyeing #folded #indigo #oldfustic #naturaldye #cicada #creasepattern #green #origami #foldedfabric #corrugation #gradient
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEJ9Ty0Jhhu/?igshid=6zo0582pbwfu
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based on the crease-pattern of my cicada. which is omnipresent in Japanese summers and symbolizes transformation and the ephemeral
molding paste, acrylic, gold leaf & pencil on canvas
#cicada #semi #蝉 #origami #karesansui #folded #goldleaf #zen #circlepacking
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDg_sKBJlPl/?igshid=no6hs6i9iuzt
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Part of the Cicadas’ Abdomen & 3rd Leg, 2020| Henna & Iron, on folded cotton & paper
#henna #khaki #green #naturaldyeing #folded #cotton #naturaldye #cicada #creasepattern #origami #foldedfabric #corrugation #gradient
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBnYFRJJD-G/?igshid=1opalna2mk4t3
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The Cicadas’ 3rd Leg, 2020| Old Fustic, on folded cotton & paper
#oldfustic #yellowwood #Macluratinctoria #naturaldyeing #folded #cotton #naturaldye #cicada #creasepattern #yellow #origami #foldedfabric #corrugation #gradient
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA0JFhBJ4pm/?igshid=m481a8yas1g6
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The Cicadas’ Abdomen & Thorax, 2019| Madder, on folded cotton
#madder #naturaldyeing #folded #cotton #naturaldye #cicada #creasepattern #turkeyred #origami #foldedfabric #corrugation #gradient
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAxiMQ-J0kS/?igshid=1akuguuz5lcb3
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Cicada Series
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Madder, Old Fustic and Henna on Cotton & Paper
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#foldedfabric #cotton #paper #madder #oldfustic #henna #origami #naturaldyeing #cicada #creasepattern
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAvHbFfpZQh/?igshid=xcgzbt317hn6
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The Cicadas’ Abdomen & Thorax, 2019| Logwood, on folded cotton | 40x50 cm
tried to recreate this navy blue but apparently i didn’t record the mordant correctly
#logwood #naturaldyeing #folded #cotton #naturaldye #cicada #creasepattern #navyblue #origami
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByiWVrWIWz7/?igshid=1xmnuc5fm45to
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Part of the Cicadas’ Abdomen & 3rd Leg, 2019| Cochineal, on folded cotton | 40x50 cm
#cochineal #naturaldyeing #folded #cotton #naturaldye #Cicada #creasepattern #red #naturaldyes #wabisabi
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByXvi3rIVtq/?igshid=oz9jdx3jd7bd
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Fresh Cicada: Some things take like a huge amount of time to mature deep in your head and then when you start putting it on paper it just blooms and blooms and blooms.
From a conversation with @lemondesouterrain
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