Friday, August 7, 2009

Red-banded leafhoppers

They're also known as candy-striped leafhoppers.

I read that these leafhoppers like to sit facing the stem end of a leaf and when I looked at all the hoppers on the sage, this was definitely a fact.

Everybody faced down which made it kind of hard to get a good shot of them. At least I have experience in that sort of thing...trying to photograph animals and bugs and birds who do their best to avoid getting their face in a phot0.

They're such pretty little things but the reason I try to get my camera as close to them as possible (they're only about 3/8" long) is because of their faces.

They don't have your normal (whatever that is) bug face, they have faces that look like little tree frogs. :-) I just think they're adorable. I've been getting in their little amphibian looking faces for three days and look forward to the day when I have that digital SLR so I can get an even better look at them.

And since this baby bird grasshopper seems to be aware of my future plans, he is planning a big leap out of here...

Not that back views can't be pretty darn cute too.

7 comments:

Anna said...

it really is a beautiful insect!
I never saw it before...I don't think they live in holland?

have a nice weekend, Anna

Maureen said...

Pretty incredible, never saw such a thing!

Mental P Mama said...

Wow!

Maria said...

Anna-Leafhoppers are all over the world but this particular one just lives in North and Central America.

Maureen-they are very, very tiny. And usually if you get too close to them they jump in some direction and you never see them again. I usually just see single ones (and not very often either). I had never seen a group of them before. Maybe they're not eating the sage, maybe they just like resting on the feather softness of it. :-) Anyway, they are welcome to try to take that plant down because I know it cannot be done. Makes for some pretty pictures though-their crazy over the top brightness combined with the nice soft fuzzy grayness of the sage leaves.

Mental-I know. I've been trying to photograph the little stinkers for three days because I don't know what my point and shoot catches with its macro setting until I get the images on my computer. Then it's fun to zoom in and see what they really look like. They are so crazy pretty.

Deedee said...

Hi Maria- I agree,those little leaf-hoppers are beautiful! We have some around here, but they are drab-brown, gray and green colored. The amphibian face is pretty cute.

Cindy Shea said...

I just love your blog! The photos you take are just breathtaking. What a wonderful place to visit for ideas for my own garden. :)

Maria said...

DeeDee-Oh I have the brown drab ones too. I think maybe the red and blue ones are a little vain because they don't bolt away as fast as the brown ones. I think they like to be admired. :-)

Cindy-What nice comments. :-) You made my day.