salpeterkraut
Mary C LeggRed and Black Froghopper, Cercopis sanguinolenta Canon 400D EF 100 2.8 f/3.2 1/160 iso: 400 Srbsko, Czech Republic 5/22/2010 #Froghoppers #Spitbugs #spittlebugs #Aphrophoridae #Cercopis #insects #invertebrates #macro #grasslands #pests
haq"Cuckoo spit", on various plants, is actually frothy froghopper farts used as a defence against predators. On the down side the young spittlebugs are drinking plant sap but on the up side the adults provide food for high flying birds such as swifts (and UK froghoppers, Philaenus spumarius and Cercopis vulnerata don't spread plant diseases). Called cuckoo spit because it appears in the same season as the migratory bird.
Memorable quote from the Natural History Museum who appear to have unusual coffee machines: "The nymph makes the foam by extruding the plant sap out of its anus and frothing it - a little like a cappuccino maker." /tmi = toot museum information
Common Froghopper, Philaenus spumarius Canon 7D EFS 60 2.8 f/2.8 1/320 iso:240 Celakovice-Jirina, Czech Republic June 14, 2023 #Froghoppers #Hemiptera #insects #pest #invertebrates #macro
Jules she/herHere we go again. I've seen a couple of shares now of a Sun article about #CuckooSpit, the foamy froth a plant-feeding insect secrètes to hid in, headlined something like "This TOXIC FOAM will KILL YOU TO DEATH, DESTROY YOUR GARDEN and EAT YOUR EYEBALLS!" and it really, really won't I promise
https://tangledbankforaging.uk/2019/06/14/dont-blame-the-bug/
Walter S.