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.

5 comments:

  1. 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

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  2. 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.

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

    Please, let me say that I love your photos!

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  4. 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.

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

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