참매미 (Cryptotympana atrata)

 

A cicada (Cryptotympana atrata) clings to the textured bark of a tree, its delicate, translucent wings folded neatly along its body. Known in Korea as 참매미 (cham-maemi), this species is famous for its loud, rhythmic summer calls, produced by specialized organs called tymbals. Emerging from years spent underground as nymphs, adult cicadas live only a few weeks, dedicating their brief time above ground to mating. Their presence is a quintessential sound of summer in East Asia, evoking both nostalgia and the passage of seasons.