Advertisement
After 17 Years Underground, Brood X Cicadas Return For 'Romance In The Treetops'
Resume![An adult cicada spotted in Washington, D.C., on May 6, 2021. Trillions of cicadas are about to emerge from 15 states. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)](https://wordpress.wbur.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/AP21127053423555-1000x667.jpg)
After spending 17 years sucking on tree roots underground, the largest brood of cicadas in the U.S. — Brood X — is out and about. The beady-eyed insects, no bigger than a thumb, are now engaged in a massive mating ritual in treetops across the eastern part of the country.
Here & Now's Alexander Tuerk heads out with University of Maryland entomologist Mike Raupp on a cicada safari.
![University of Maryland entomologist Mike Raupp pictured with a cicada on his forehead. (Alexander Tuerk/Here & Now)](https://media.wbur.org/wp/2021/05/cicada-1000x701.jpg)
This segment aired on May 26, 2021.