In his 1990 children’s book, “The Very Quiet Cricket,” author Eric Carle writes that a spittlebug lives “slurping in a sea of froth.” That’s just perfect!
Spittlebugs overwinter as eggs. In spring, they hatch and begin to secrete a frothy substance to hide inside. It’s like a cocoon but it never hardens. The frothy dollops are sometimes called cuckoo spit or snake spit. (I don’t think either animal could work up enough saliva to create noticeable spittle.)
The spittle gives the insect a protective place to hide and not dry out. Inside their frothy world, spittlebugs pierce the plant and suck on its juices. The foamy froth is created from excess plant juices mixed with air that pass through the insect’s body. It is not secreted from their mouths, but rather from their caboose ends, so technically, it’s not actually spit, but something altogether different.
Over time, the nymphs slowly grow, molting regularly into larger and larger forms until their last winged adult stage. Then they are able to jump away (although they have wings, they tend to hop instead) and no longer need the spittle for protection.
Recently I was leading a group of third graders on one of the trails at the nature center and I decided to show the kids a nymph by brushing away some of its spittle. One blond-headed boy at the front quickly remarked, "Careful Dude. I gag easily."
-Photo taken at Ijams Nature Center shows four spittlebug cocoons.
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