You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

Hey y'all, Maddie Sify here.

So, ever so often, I pop into an interview a little bit early and I get to hear the

guest talking to our producers and they don't always recognize I'm there.

Today we see the lowly life cycle of the puriarticles cicada.

Dr. Bugs, is that you?

That is definitely me.

He surprised me there for a second.

I was just goofing around in my free time.

You may recognize that voice.

He's a Shortwave fan favorite entomologist Dr. Sammy Ramsey, aka Dr. Bugs.

He works at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and he's here today to talk with us about

Brude Ten, a big group of cicadas that will emerge from the ground this spring.

This is going to be the 17-year cicada.

So 17 years ago, in 2004, they all emerged in mass and this year they will do the same thing again.

Brude Ten is one of the largest groups of 17-year cicadas.

There are several species of cicadas in Brude Ten, but they all look pretty similar.

So they've got these bright red eyes on top of this black body with bright orange wings.

So you're immediately struck by how conspicuous this organism is.

It's also larger than most insects.

It's sometimes about two inches long.

Brudes are determined by geography and if you live where Brude Ten lives,

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