Wee beastie # 50 – Froghopper: Cercopis vulnerata

I realise I haven’t been posting for a while. Times are not great, and I am shocked to see it’s been a week since the last post.

This one has taken a fair while to even get off the ground too – and there’s no telling when the motivation will increase. Hopefully, soon.

Meanwhile, I took the dog to the reservoir last week in search of bugs, and came across this one hiding in the long grass. I assumed it was another Burnet moth, because of the markings and because I thought I saw it flying for a little while. I have already posted a picture of a Burnet moth (see here), so I left these pictures in the archives. However, reading a nature book today, I noticed an illustration of this wee beastie – and it is not a moth at all. It is apparently a member of the Froghopper family – known by its Latin name Cercopis vulnerata. It’s believed that the stunning markings are designed to ward of predators, and the “flying” I witnessed was actually an illustration of the tiny (about 1cm long) creature’s ability to jump incredible heights.

© Alice through the Macro Lens [2012]