Froghoppers

I managed to photograph a couple of froghoppers recently. Froghoppers are very small jumping insects that look surprisingly frog-like when seen close-up.

The ability to jump very high adds to the frogginess.

I was quite impressed with the bright orange eyes of this one.


Froghoppers have been recently assessed as being the most powerful jumper of all the animals -previously fleas had been considered the champions.

The new research has shown that froghoppers can leap up to 70cm into the air, which is one reason why they are hard to photograph.

As soon as they sense a camera, they leap away.


This photo helps show the scale of the insects-they are very small, about half a centimetre [0.2inch], and most are well camouflaged with brownish or greenish colours.
The nymphs of the froghopper make a 'nest' bubbles from excess plant sap. This is commonly called Cuckoo spit or snake spit. The frothy nest hides them from predators but also allows the nymphs to control their temperature and moisture levels.

Tags: macro, photos, froghopper, Cuckoo spit