La Cigale Many things to many peopleIn this century of rapid scientific discovery, there are still natural phenomena with the power to inspire wonder and mystery . The cicada, an insect known since ancient times, is one of these phenomena. Because there are many gaps in scientific knowledge about cicadas, these mysterious insects can still stimulate our imagination or mislead us. These days, the cicada represents many things to many people: it is a curiosity that should be approached scientifically; it is a source of superstition and terror; it's also just an annoying seasonal inconvenience. The cicada is a large black insect about an inch in length. Various species of this insect can be found throughout northern America. When the cicada is at rest, its large, transparent, veined wings are folded over the top of its body and extend about a quarter of an inch beyond it. The cicada's wing veins are a reddish orange color, as are its eyes and legs. The front legs are pointed and crab-like, allowing the animal to cling tightly to the bark of trees. The species of American cicada most studied by scientists and most questioned by the general public is known as the periodical cicada. Its scientific name is Magicicada septendecim. This species of cicada only appears above ground once every seventeen years. What the cicada does underground for most of its seventeen-year lifespan was a mystery until fairly recently. At the beginning of this century, a man named CL Marlett, who worked for the United States Department of Agriculture, decided to find out. He began burying cicada eggs in his garden and periodically digging them up to observe them. He soon discovered that the cicada begins life as a small nymph measuring about six hundredths of an inch in length. A nymph is an immature insect, before it has fully developed its wings or reproductive organs. During their sixteen years and ten and a half months underground, the cicada nymphs snuggle against the roots of the trees from which they gently suck the juice. Nourished by this root sap, they begin to grow. They molt four times before reaching adult size. Once mature, a cicada does not necessarily leave its underground nursery. All the cicadas of the same generation in a region wait for a seventeenth spring before emerging as a group from the ground..