First cicadas spotted in Annandale

Cicada sighting in Annandale backyard.

The first cicadas from Brood X are beginning to emerge from
the ground where they’ve spent the last 17 years.

If you’re lucky, you might see a cicada or two in your yard now, but in a week or so, a wide swath of the Eastern United States
will be inundated with trillions of cicadas.

A cicada exoskeleton.

The nymphs dig their way out of the ground where they squirm
out of their exoskeleton and become an adult. The newly formed adults are white.
Within hours, they darken, their wings unfurl, and their eyes turn red.

Related story: 17 things to know about the 17-year cicada invasion

They will then climb up trees, where the males will sing to attract a
female. After they mate, the female lays eggs. Nymphs emerge from the eggs,
drop to the ground, and burrow into the soil where they will live for the next
17 years.