Quote Originally Posted by MagikSmallie View Post
what needs to be understood is that cicada's hatch every year the reason they are called 17 year is becuase it takes 17 years for them to transform from a grub into the actual cicada, some years are heavier than others, but they don't just come out every 17 years they come very year.
It is true that there are "annual" cicadas that come out every year, but 17-year cicadas do in fact live underground for 17 years, only emerging once in their lifetime. There are 13-year cicadas, too. Do a Google search and you'll find all kinds of articles about them. This one has good pics:
http://www.pbase.com/knight_errant/cicada_central