Sunday, May 18, 2008

Spittle

What an odd title for a post, eh? But there is meaning here. The spittle bugs are leaving their telltale signs on the stems of plants all around the vineyard.

Spittle around the stem of a wildflower among the vines.

According to Wikipedia, the little bugs that make this foam are also known as froghoppers. There are apparently a lot of species of these insects, and I'm not sure which one or ones we have here in central France, let alone which is responsible for the bubbles pictured above.
at

5 comments:

  1. The Duchess18 May, 2008 14:04

    I'm one of those people who hate the sight of children blowing spit bubbles out of their mouths, so you can imagine how enamoured I am of these bugs!lol

    ReplyDelete
  2. chrissoup18 May, 2008 16:08

    I hate those little suckers,though they're not as slimy as slugs. They'll be gone soon though, being spring-only bugs around here.

    ReplyDelete
  3. lost in france19 May, 2008 02:24

    I like the name Froghopper -- do they jump over Frenchmen?

    Please, let me say that I love your photos!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous19 May, 2008 09:25

    Yuk! Had never seen anything like this. There are probably no froghoppers in the city.
    By the way, I just love your hen and chicks photo.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous19 May, 2008 21:43

    Looks like a little goatee on the wildflower. We get these occasionally, too. It amazes me how much "spittle" a little bug can produce!

    ReplyDelete

Tell me what you think!