Sip Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 I didn't know where else to put this but since it's from National Geographic, I figured I'd put it here. This is a pretty fascinating story! Cicada Invasion: Eastern U.S. Braces for Bug Swarm John Roach for National Geographic News March 29, 2004 Get ready, Brood X is coming. This May billions of black, shrimp-size bugs with transparent wings and beady red eyes will carpet trees in the U.S. from the eastern seaboard west through Indiana and south to Tennessee. By the end of June they'll be gone, not to be heard from or seen again for 17 years. "Many people view them with horror or as an aberration and don't appreciate that they are a natural part of our eastern forests," said John Cooley, a cicada expert at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The bugs belong to the largest group, or brood, of periodical cicadas—insects that spend most of their lives as nymphs, burrowed underground and sucking sap from tree roots. They emerge once every 17 years, transform into adults, do the business of reproduction, and then die. Link to story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.