Alternate name: Froghopper

Family: Cercopidae, Spittlebugs view all from this family

Description 3/8" (9-10 mm). Near bubbly froth. Elongated, pear-shaped. Rounded head, very short antennae. Gray to green, yellow, or chocolate-brown with pale spots. Wings short, at rest conform to body shape. Nymph is pale, scarcely pigmented.

Food Juice of many different plants.

Life Cycle Frost-resistant eggs are deposited in angle between leaf and stem, hatching in spring. Nymphs soon cover themselves with froth consisting of self-made bubbles, which provides protection from dry air, predators, and potential parasites. Nymphs move frequently, but maintain their cover until they mature. Winged adults crawl or fly into open. 1 generation a year.

Habitat Meadows and croplands where forage plants are raised.

Range New England south to Florida; West Coast to north central states and adjacent Canada.

Discussion Adults are often inconspicuously colored, and nymphs are overlooked because of their bubbly covering. This pest destroys alfalfa and clover crops.