Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: leafhopper

One of the coolest things about having a macro lens is being able to share some of the amazing, tiny things that I find! This morning I was looking at the blackberry blossoms and considering them for my picture of the day when I noticed something sitting on a leaf. I crossed my fingers for something special and I was rewarded with this amazingly cool leafhopper!! Its body is modified to look similar to a thorn so predators won't recognize it as a tasty snack! Did you know that there are more than 20,000 species of leafhoppers around the world?! AMAZING!! Jared Mason Diamond (born September 10, 1937) is an American scientist and author best known for his popular science books The Third Chimpanzee (1991), Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997), Collapse (2005) and The World Until Yesterday (2012). Originally trained in physiology, Diamond's work is known for drawing from a variety of fields, including anthropology, ecology, geography, and evolutionary biology. He is currently Professor of Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has been described as "America’s best-known geographer". Wikipedia: Jared Diamond

This cute little bug looks like he's wearing prison garb!

[best appreciated at full size against black] What looks like an light green miniature grain of rice, springs from leaf to leaf like an over-caffeinated cricket and is only 1/16" long? Why, this tiny cutie pie, of course! :D This juvenile leafhopper was so small that I was just fooling around when I tried to take its picture without a tripod. I didn't actually think I'd be successful, so I could hardly believe it when I saw this image!! Yay for Image Stabilization!! Leafhoppers are found all over the world and there are at least 20,000 described species! Most feed on plant sap, but will sometimes eat small insects like aphids. They can transmit plant pathogens from one plant to another and seven species are the carriers for a number of deadly crop viruses. Happily we don't have to worry about that and I love these adorable little guys! If you would like to know more about leafhoppers, Wiki has a great page here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafhopper This image was taken in March, 2012.

I found this darling leafhopper on our hike yesterday! He was so tiny that I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to get a good picture of him, so when I saw this on my computer, I was delighted!