{"id":7198,"date":"2018-07-16T14:00:06","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T18:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/naturalcrooks.com\/rambles\/?p=7198"},"modified":"2018-07-15T14:00:30","modified_gmt":"2018-07-15T18:00:30","slug":"what-tiny-red-blue-green-striped-insect-bug-leaf-hopper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalcrooks.com\/rambles\/what-tiny-red-blue-green-striped-insect-bug-leaf-hopper\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s This Tiny Red and Blue Striped Insect or Bug on a Leaf?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

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!<\/p>\n

Who Decided What Is a Grasshopper and What Is a Leafhopper?<\/h2>\n

I doubt I\u2019ll 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 \u201cgrass\u201d hoppers and the ones leaping away from nearby leaves when they picked some fruit \u201cleaf\u201d hoppers.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

Snooping around the internet, I also found out that scientists define leafhoppers as having mouths that can pierce and suck sap<\/strong><\/a> and juices out of plants. Grasshoppers have mouths for biting and chewing plant fibres.\u00a0 There are lots of other differences as well.<\/p>\n

What Do Candy Striped Leaf Hoppers Eat?<\/h2>\n

I found it quite amusing to read on a pest control website<\/strong><\/a> 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?<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
\nWhen 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.<\/em><\/p>\n

According to the BugLady at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee<\/strong><\/a> they particularly like blackberry and raspberry leaves. They eat juices from other plants as well. Mobugs, a website about insects in Missouri<\/strong><\/a>, says they feed on a wide variety of grasses and plants.\u00a0 Personally, we don\u2019t have any raspberry or blackberry canes near our yard so our leafhopper was definitely finding something else it liked.<\/p>\n

Now I know I can find them right in my own back yard, I\u2019m going to keep an eye out for them. I didn\u2019t get a photo that is properly in focus\u2026.yet.<\/p>\n

Related Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n