, a new Vox reporting initiative on the science, politics, and economics of the biodiversity crisis. Next month, billions of cicadas will erupt from the earth across parts of the eastern US, crawl up trees, shed their skin, and begin a loud hunt for mates. These particular insects are part of a group known as Brood X that emerges once every 17 years. And when they do, the lacy-winged critters hang around for two to four weeks before dying, assuming they don’t get nabbed by birds, pet dogs, or a hungry zoo animal first. But while their lives in the sun may be just a noisy blip, the members of Brood X will certainly leave a mark on forests from Tennessee to New York.