Hordes of cicadas are emerging simultaneously in America

Fifteen such broods of the genus Magicicada exist in North America. Some, like Brood VII in New York and Brood XIII in the Midwest, live on a 17-year cycle. Others, like Brood XXII in the South, emerge every 13 years. This year, for the first time this century, two broods with contiguous territory are emerging simultaneously. The exact number of insects expected to fill the air from Georgia to Wisconsin, though disputed, is high. “Maybe a trillion’s not out of the question,” says John Lill at George Washington University. “It’s going to be pretty extraordinary.”