Brood X contains billions — maybe trillions — of cicadas, and they are emerging after 17 years underground.

They will shake up parts of the eastern U.S. during a raucous few weeks as full-fledged adults. Then, just as suddenly, they will die.⁠ wapo.st/3bPqfVN
Since 2004, the Brood X cicadas have been growing and molting underground, drinking a fluid called xylem from plant and tree roots through a straw-like beak.⁠ Within a couple of weeks, half the brood will emerge.

Take a scroll through a cicada's life: wapo.st/3bPqfVN
After shedding its brown shell and the passage of a couple days, it will be able to fly and call. wapo.st/3bPqfVN After wriggling out of its ...In a few hours, its body wi...
In the following weeks, the cicadas will mate, lay eggs and then promptly die. Once the nymphs hatch, they too will burrow back underground, recycling the 17-year-long process.⁠ wapo.st/3bPqfVN
And sometimes, fungus makes them lose their butts. wapo.st/3fHeX6Z

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with The Washington Post

The Washington Post Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @washingtonpost

26 May
The Post’s “The Afghanistan Papers” book will publish on Aug. 31.

The account is based on interviews with more than 1,000 people who knew that the U.S. government was presenting a distorted, and sometimes entirely fabricated, version of the facts. wapo.st/3wELCRD
The book builds on Craig Whitlock’s award-winning story, which investigates how three successive presidents and their military commanders deceived the public about the longest war in American history.

You can preorder here: simonandschuster.com/books/The-Afgh…
For nearly two decades of fighting in Afghanistan, U.S. leaders sounded a constant refrain: We are making progress.

They were not, documents show, and they knew it.

Here's The Post's 2019 investigation:
wapo.st/3i0nEMF
Read 5 tweets
23 May
This is the place where two worlds collide: the desperation of Central American migrants and the politics of the United States.

Migration has surged to its highest level in years, driven by violence, poverty — and hopes for a new U.S. president. wapo.st/3fsQkuQ
The Biden administration is expelling most of the migrants, as President Donald Trump did. But Mexico’s shelters are filling up, and it’s refusing to take back some families. wapo.st/3fsQkuQ
“We encounter a lot of small children that come alone without their parents, and I wouldn’t send my kids alone like that,” said Roque Vela, a Hidalgo County deputy constable. wapo.st/3fsQkuQ
Read 6 tweets
22 May
After a year of isolation, Americans are reuniting. They are hugging, laughing and crying. They are mourning, and they are still anxious.

But they have done it together.

Here’s a look at reunions that have taken place across the country. washingtonpost.com/nation/interac…
Valerie Brachulis was the surprise guest in the back seat of the car when Emma Rice, her 5-year-old granddaughter, was finished with school on April 8.

“Oh my gosh! You really came with us!” Rice exclaimed.
On Easter Sunday, Rev. Keith Thomas held his first in-person service in over a year at Mount Olive, one of the oldest and largest Black churches in Champaign, Ill.

“The pandemic really took a toll,” said Marion Harrington, a church deacon. “But now we’re back home again.”
Read 8 tweets
19 May
Public transportation ridership slid to historic lows at the start of the pandemic.

With lower ridership levels predicted until 2024, one proposal aims to serve the low-income passengers relying most heavily on public transit: Make it free.

wapo.st/3tVnVCM
Workers who abandoned offices — and their commutes — are expected to return in lower numbers this fall as employers allow more flexible telecommuting arrangements. wapo.st/3tVnVCM
Left no other option but in-person work are service employees who disproportionately are people of color, according to data reviewed by The Washington Post.
Read 10 tweets
17 May
Trial of suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Black motorist Daunte Wright, may proceed, judge rules washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05…
Kimberly A. Potter, a former Minnesota police officer, has not appeared in court since April 15, the day after she was charged with second-degree manslaughter for shooting Wright during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minn., the previous week. washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05…
The omnibus, or pre-trial hearing, marks the latest development in a case that drew significant national attention just as the trial of ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin played out 10 miles away. washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05…
Read 4 tweets
15 May
Food is how people show love in the Asian American Pacific Islander community: “It’s how we communicate, how we cope and find comfort,” writes @marianliu.

For AAPI Heritage Month, we asked Asian chefs and celebrities what role food plays in their lives. washingtonpost.com/food/interacti…
When Christine Ha's mother died, leaving no recipes behind, she set out to recreate her cooking from memory. Her comfort food is fried rice, a dish her mom made.

“Being able to create food with my own two hands and make other people happy ... That really sparked a joy in me.”
Sheldon Simeon's comfort food is loco moco, “the most American” dish that's still “distinguishably Hawaii.”

“I think Hawaii can be a great snapshot for what this country needs of us, respecting each other’s culture and celebrating each other.”
Read 6 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(