Cicada Emerging from Shell Above Swiss Stream

Deep shadow cloaks the mossy stone bank where a cicada pulls itself from its translucent exoskeleton. A sharp rim light outlines the insect's new wings and the jagged edges of the old shell clinging to the bark. Wind whips the surrounding ferns and dry grasses, bending them in a single direction across the frame. The glacial stream below flows with milky turquoise water, its surface broken by white ripples. A broken branch creates a natural frame around the subject, separating the still insect from the rushing water. The light catches the fine hairs on the cicada's back, highlighting the tension in its legs as it hangs suspended. One droplet of water rests on the tip of a nearby leaf.