I was standing along the forest edge in my neighborhood when this cicada came flying along and landed on a branch near the base of a small tree. I hear cicadas all day long during the summer and often see them flying among the trees in my backyard and neighborhood, sometimes fleeing a Blue Jay, but I so very rarely see a live cicada up close like this. These bugs begin their lives in the ground and after a certain number of years (the time varies among species), the nymphs emerge from the ground and head straight up the nearest tree. They then live their adult lives in the forest canopy. Encountering a live adult cicada near the ground like this is rare.