I took a stroll by the garden wall this morning after feeding the wild cats. They morning is cool with rain forecasted for most of the week. Walking over by the frog pond I came across plant after plant covered in frog spit. Now I know it's not really spit from a frog. Too bad it's not because when I looked up where it really comes from, it's a froghopper or spittlebug! Sucking the juices out of all my wildflowers.
I found a pretty detailed article at this blog: The Home Bug Garden who had an infestation most likely due to leaving vegetation to overwinter, as I did, for it's aesthetic value. Some of those seed heads are so pretty with snow on them!
The spit is produced by their bodies, encasing them in foam that protects them from weather and predators. They have a wide variety of colors. Most articles say they can stunt growth but only in serious infestations. Natural and chemical remedies don't seem to affect them very well so the advice is to give them a spray with the garden hose to knock them off the particular plant or leave them be until they morph into little froghoppers.
2 comments:
We get those guys on our rosemary hedge out front. Hubby blasts them with the garden hose and then sprays them with insecticide...it helps.
And here I was thinking. 'Frog spit? Huh.' Haha!
Still, thanks for the information. Now I know what to do, or not do, as the case may be. :o)
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