Explore Outdoors ~ Spittlebug Season

 

The other morning I headed out to take photos of all the spiderwebs in the "tall grass" - a section of lawn we've let grow. It's not so much grass as it is a mix of wild flowers and plants that have grown up. Along with the numerous webs, I noticed lots of spitballs ...

 

Yep, it's that time of year again: spittlebug season! Spittlebugs are juvenile "froghoppers" that suck plant sap, spill it all over themselves, then blow air out their butts to create a froth of bubbles.

 

 This is what they look like if you wipe some of the spit off their faces. Cute little buggers, aren't they?

 

 I see them on so many different plants, but I've never taken the time to make a list of:

• what plants do I find them on?
• do they prefer mid-level living or top floor?
• are there any plants they won't choose?
• how many spittlebug friends share the plant?

 This week head out on a Spittlebug Search!

Explore Outdoors ~ Spittlebug Caught in the Act!

 Every now and then I see Cool Things Happening in my garden. Like a couple weeks ago when I discovered a spittlebug in the act of creating a foam dome so they could hide from the sun. And predators - because who wants a mouthful of foamy spit?

Spittlebugs are plant-suckers. They stick their short pointy beaks into stems and then suck up the sap. But they are messy eaters! As they spill sap down their bodies, they add some air and make bubbles. Lots of bubbles. Turns out they can make 80 spit bubbles in a minute.

This week keep your eye open for spittlebugs. 

• If you see a spittlebug starting its foamy dome, stay and watch a while. How long does it take until they are covered?
• What kind of plants do you see spittlebug foam on? And where on the plant do you find it?  Do they hang out at the tips of plants? The base? On stems or leaves? In leaf axils (where leaves meet the stems)?
• How many foam homes do you find on plants? Are they close together or far apart?

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ meet the spittlebug!

No matter where I went last week - whether it was a walk down the road or following the bees through the tall grass where buttercups and yarrow are growing - there were plants covered with spitballs. Those spitballs are the foam homes of spittlebugs, immature froghoppers.

Spittlebugs are true bugs, related to aphids and cicadas. They have pointy beaks that they stick into stems and use to suck up the plant sap. They pump excess sap out, forcing air into it to make a bubble mass that will cover their bodies. These bubble homes protect the spittlebugs from parasites, keeps it from drying out, and also protects it from predators, such as ants.

What kind of plants do spittlebugs hang out on? Take a walk and find out. Look at pine trees and plants growing in weedy areas of your lawn or a park.

Where do they hang out? Look in leaf axils - where leaves meet the stems.

Do they like tips of plants? The middle of plants? The bases of plants? And does it depend on what kind of plant it is? Jot down the kinds of plants you find them on, and where they are on those plants.

Do they share their plants with other spittlebugs? How many foam homes do you find on plants? Are they close together or far apart?

How long does it take to make a spit-bubble home? To find out, gently remove a spittlebug (remember, they are babies) from its home and put it on another part of the plant. Then watch it start creating a new spit bubble home.



More on Spittlebugs here:
Great photos and info about spittlebugs over at Wild and Free Montana
and more at Missouri Botanical Gardens

Spittlebug-ology

Ever notice foamy white spitballs clinging to some of the tall grass and plants in the “less-mowed” section of your yard? It’s a spittlebug, a baby “froghopper” that’s making that froth.

Spittlebugs are true bugs, like aphids and other sap-sucking homoptera that stick their short pointy beaks into stems. But spittlebugs are messy eaters. As they spill sap down their bodies, they add some air and make bubbles. It makes sense: they don’t have hard shells to protect themselves. And the bubbles help keep their skin moist. Besides, who wants to eat a blob of spit?

To see a spittlebug up close, grab a watercolor brush and a handlens. Then head out to the nearest weed patch – or pine tree – and look for the tell-tale blobs of foam. Use the paintbrush to gently brush the spit aside. In there somewhere you should find a tiny green insect with huge eyes and even huger hind legs.

Spittlebugs can churn out 80 spit bubbles in a minute. Want to watch? Using your paintbrush, remove a spittlebug from its home and put it somewhere else on the plant. Then watch. It might take a few minutes for the tiny guy to find the “perfect” place to tap, but when it does, it will start to make foam. Use a watch to time how long it takes to completely cover itself.

Some other spittlebug questions to investigate:

• Do spittlebugs share foam homes with their friends?
• Where do they tend to hang out: on the sides of stems or where leaves meet the stems?
• Do they build spit shelters in or under flowers?
• How high up on plants do they go?

 Check out what else is happening at STEM Friday - you'll find book reviews, educational resources and more.