I think one of the reasons I love watching a Cicada moult into adulthood so much, is that it's just the ultimate transformation, right? They crawl up out of the dirt after years living underground, their exoskeleton hard and brown and once they shrug off that old skin, they emerge soft and fresh and new and just so beautiful. I mean breathtakingly beautiful in many cases. But it doesn't take them long before they realise that being soft and beautiful out in the world probably leaves them just a touch too vulnerable and so they lose those pastel coloiurs and harden TF up before flying noisily off into the night. And if that doesn't sum up hitting your forties I don't know what does!
Also summing up hitting your forties (which I am half way through I should point out, so I am a bloody 40 something expert now) is getting multifocals! Tried before, failed before. Giving it another red hot go and picked up my new glasses which incidentally took me two days to choose because I hate looking at my face in the mirror and it's such an out there decision. Choosing a new bra is fine. The world ain't gonna see that bad boy. Glasses on the other hand are there, on your face, calling attention to your impaired vision and your enormous red cheeks! So I nervously sat there this morning, waiting for my glasses to be handed to me, quietly freaking out, blowing out big breaths and trying to ready myself so I wouldn't hyperventilate or worse still, cry when I turned and looked at my own little mini transformation in the in-store mirror.
The guy who has been helping me handed them to me and waited while I popped them on. I slid them onto my nose and over my ears, lifted my head and then it was my turn to wait. "Okay. Now read this." And I was handed an iPad to try out the multifocal magic. Ah, back up there mister. And men out there, let this be a lesson to you. If you ever have the 'pleasure' of dealing with me, helping me to choose shoes, or clothes or even if you're my dentist and have just given my teeth a clean, if I present myself to you wearing those new shoes, clothes, teeth or glasses you damn well better be prepared to jump back and gasp loudly, "OH MY GOD! YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL!" Spill your drink if you have to. Excuse yourself and go next door to get a drink to spill if needed! Let a tear, a single tear only though thank you, roll down your cheek if you'd prefer. But never, NEVER just say "Okay".
Good news is, I have had time alone with me and my glasses and have to say, I look pretty cute, I think. I still can't see properly and am walking around doing the new multifocal nod trying to find the floor but so far so good. Anyway, enough about me and my transformation. Last year I filmed the Cicada moult in timelapse on my phone. This time I decided to do some normal filming with the macro, all handheld, one hand holding the camera, the other holding the light, add in the attacking Longicorn Beetle and you have the signature Backyard Zoology wobble. I sped it up though so you can see the process but not pass over before the end. I'm good like that. You're welcome!
Cicada Moult
Northern Illawarra