What’s This Tiny Red and Blue Striped Insect or Bug on a Leaf?

I was cutting down some of the endless supply of weedy saplings springing up in my back yard on July morning when I noticed a very small narrow insect brightly striped in red and green or blue on a leaf on the next shrub I meant to chop off. I knew it was a leaf hopper and I was pretty sure it was a Candy Striped Leaf Hopper so I darted inside to get my camera before it jumped away.

Sure enough, when I compared my photos with those on BugGuide.net, this pretty little insect is a Candy Striped Leafhopper also called a Red-Banded Leafhopper. I’ve seen photos of these (much more in focus than mine) on other nature blogs and I’ve wanted to see one for myself. Now I have!

Who Decided What Is a Grasshopper and What Is a Leafhopper?

I doubt I’ll ever know who named the common insects of the world but I suspect farmers named some of them. It would make sense to me if people striding across a grassy path called the ones leaping away in front of their feet “grass” hoppers and the ones leaping away from nearby leaves when they picked some fruit “leaf” hoppers.

Snooping around the internet, I also found out that scientists define leafhoppers as having mouths that can pierce and suck sap and juices out of plants. Grasshoppers have mouths for biting and chewing plant fibres.  There are lots of other differences as well.

What Do Candy Striped Leaf Hoppers Eat?

I found it quite amusing to read on a pest control website that many leaf hoppers names indicate their preferred food such as a Grape Leafhopper eats grape leaves. Does that mean these little guys like Striped Candy best?

When I saw the closeup on the computer I realized they also have yellow legs and black facial markings and things that I couldn’t see when I was staring at the real creature.

According to the BugLady at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee they particularly like blackberry and raspberry leaves. They eat juices from other plants as well. Mobugs, a website about insects in Missouri, says they feed on a wide variety of grasses and plants.  Personally, we don’t have any raspberry or blackberry canes near our yard so our leafhopper was definitely finding something else it liked.

Now I know I can find them right in my own back yard, I’m going to keep an eye out for them. I didn’t get a photo that is properly in focus….yet.

Related Reading

• What’s This Tiny Black Ladybug with Two Red Spots?
• What Ladybug Has Long Oval Black Spots with Yellow Edges?
• What Ladybug is Pink, Oval and Has Large Black Spots on Its “Head?”

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Do you have any interesting leafhoppers in your yard? Please share your sightings with a comment.