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A Brood 0f Periodical Magicicada Nymphs,
Discarding Their Exoskeletons in Unison,
To Emerge as Flying Adults,
From A Pear Tree, in Summer

This acrylic painting is a blend and mixture of a childhood memory and scientific research.

How Do Cicadas Know When to Emerge from the Ground?
By Kevin Fitzgerald

If you’ve never seen a cicada, you’ve certainly heard them, filling summer days and nights with their loud, raspy love songs. If you’ve seen any, you’re not likely to forget, since they are impressive insects. In the U.S., they grow up to 1.5 inches long, with wingspans of up to two inches.

Cicadas are insects in the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha, and superfamily Cicadoidea, and they are related to leafhoppers, treehoppers, spittle bugs, and jumping plant lice. About 3,000 species of cicada have been described, with about 170 in the U.S. and Canada. They are found on all continents except Antarctica and on many is...

Jonathan Morrill is a Hollywood-based artist. His acrylic works of many a tinsel-town icon have graced the walls of La-La Land's great haunts, including Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where he appears as himself in the HBO documentary; "The Young and The Dead" (2000), painting an over-sized portrait of Rudolph Valentino as the "The Son of The Sheik", mere yards away from the icons final resting place. The piece is featured in Tracy Ryan Terhune's book 'Valentino Forever' (AuthorHouse, 2004) In 2019, that same 10' x 10' acrylic portrait continues to be displayed at the annual Valentino memorial. The Hollywood Wax Museum featured not only some of Morrill's acrylic work, but during his tenor as assistant curator, he installed a...