The periodical cicada is an amazing insect that spends most of its life underground. People sometimes incorrectly call them "17-year locusts," but this is wrong—locusts are a type of grasshopper.

The female lays eggs in tree twigs. The young, called nymphs, hatch and immediately burrow into the soil. They feed on plant roots for about 17 years, when they emerge from the ground and become adults. Adults live for only four to six weeks to mate and lay eggs, starting the cycle over.

Adult male cicadas make a very loud, droning sound to attract females. When huge groups appear, the noise can be deafening. Periodical cicadas are easy to spot with their dark bodies, orange markings, and red eyes. This is different from the green and black dog-day cicadas that emerge yearly.

They don't bite or sting humans. Females can hurt trees by puncturing twigs to lay eggs. This causes the leaves on those twigs to die, which is called "flagging." Young trees are the most easily damaged.

West Virginia has different groups, called broods, that emerge on different 17-year schedules. Brood V is the largest and will return again in 2033.