I happened to notice this particular lavender plant had a lot of cuckoo spit on it so I thought I'd check it out. I think I thought it was eggs of some sort but it's actually bubble wrapping for the nymph of a froghopper insect, also known as spittlebug. It's a plant-sap-sucking insect, which sounds bad but doesn't usually affect the plant.
However it can be a carrier of Xylella, a bacterial disease that can cause serious problems for plants. It's not yet reached the UK but is present in southern Europe. And as the Daily M**l puts it: invasion from Europe could decimate 500 species of plant. They didn't add but might as well have done: the sooner we leave the Europe the better.
The Royal Horticultural Society is working with the University of Sussex and Forest Research to map the distribution. The Brigit project has been funded to study air-borne pathogens, to reduce the risk, and to inform strategies to deal with any future outbreak. thousands of volunteers are needed to help map the distribution of spittlebugs.
If you're in the UK and you'd like to help go here.
4 comments:
I've never seen anything like that before . . . but what a colourful name for it.
We have something a bit like that here in the Northern US that is often seen on milkweed plants, but I am not sure if it’s origins or is it worrisome. We also have tent caterpillars but their masses occur in trees here and are very much associated with decline in a tree’s health.
PipeTobacco
If cuckoo spit is what I think it is then something similar, but without the spit, is found here and is called a lacehopper. On the other hand it could be something else altogether, Natural History not being my thing exactly.
I have never seen it.. So not sure. Never heard anyone speak about it.
Post a Comment