What's a Cicada?

I met my first cicada twenty years ago. Whilst in Palm Desert this week, I heard cicadas singing in the trees, so I looked them up on the internet to show them to my kids. It was so interesting that I wanted to put them on my blog. There's lots of info on cicadas, including this link: Answers to Cicada Questions.
Here's a good clip: Return of the 17 Year Cicadas

You can hear the Cicadas in this one: Singing Cicadas

Here's a pic of the cicadas seen and heard in Palm Desert. I took it with my little pocket digital, so it's not all that clear. This pic has been cropped as tight as I thought I could, making sure the cicada was identifiable. : )