The blackberries are starting to bloom and having the same issues with the leaves turning white but this year I spotted the problem before they probably all flew off. Leafhoppers! They got a soapy bath today. They were also on the rose bushes so those got a soapy spray too.

#gardening #blackberries #leafhoppers

How a #parasite plays matchmaker
https://elifesciences.org/digests/98992/how-a-parasite-plays-matchmaker paper: https://elifesciences.org/articles/98992

"The parasitic bacterium #phytoplasma helps male and female #leafhoppers find each other so they can breed and increase the population of #insects that spread the #parasites to new hosts... Protein SAP54 attracted female leafhoppers to the leaves, but only when males were also present. SAP54 also suppressed the plant’s defences when males were on the leaves, making the plant more inviting to females."

"Oh no, he found me"

Yet more invading the personal space of insects in my garden, another leafhopper this time. This one thought the lavender flowers were a save hiding place. Sadly for it, no.

#photography #MacroPhotography #macro #wildlife #nature #garden #insects #leafhoppers