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Beloved Hoppers - Blog Posts
Cixiid Planthopper (Xenoliarus placitus), taken May 25, 2025, in Georgia, US
A beautiful cixiid planthopper posing for me on a leaf! This is the most common species in my area, though I do very rarely find more obscure species. This species very recently was moved to Xenoliarus from Melanoliarus, which caused some confusion for me when I saw the new genus name lol. It can be quite variable in appearance, sometimes having black patterning on the wings ranging from some spots on the tops to completely black. This makes it kind of hard to ID if you're not familiar with it, but if you're looking for them you'll become familiar in no time since they tend to like to land on your stuff!
Coppery Leafhoppers (Jikradia olitoria), nymphs, taken May, 2025, in Georgia, US
A small collection of J. olitoria nymphs to showcase how variable they can be, even when found in the same place! Even with all this color, some colorations are still missing—green and brown most notably. Despite their highly variable colors, these nymphs can still be easily IDed due to shared pattern traits and their signature curled posture, which they only share with a few other leafhoppers (in the US and Canada). I feel like a Pokémon collector trying to collect all the forms of this species' nymph when I put them all side by side like this lol!
Red-banded Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea), taken May 21, 2025, in Georgia, US
I've begun seeing G. coccinea about! This leafhopper's patterning is quite variable, often overlapping with the patterning of G. fennahi, the Rhododendron Leafhopper, and making it hard to ID. If the leafhopper has any hint of an isolated stripe on the wing (seen very clearly in this image), it is G. coccinea, as G. fennahi's stripe connects fully to the edge of the wing. It can also be helpful to check if the leafhopper is feeding on the plant it sits on and documenting what the plant is, as G. fennahi is only known to feed on rhododendron species while G. coccinea is far less picky and feeds from a wide variety of herbaceous plants!
Coppery Leafhopper (Jikradia olitoria), nymph, taken May 18, 2025, in Georgia, US
Some out of focus images of my son because I love him so much.. I saw him again yesterday on the same plant, so he must like it where he is lol. Even after seeing tons of these guys, I still can't get over how cute they are, especially as nymphs! Their large, charismatic eyes, bright colors, and little dances have captivated me, I fear.
Flatid Planthopper (Family Flatidae), nymph, taken May 18, 2025, in Georgia, US
A little planthopper nymph on a blackberry stem! I'm not very good with IDing flatid planthopper nymphs, as most of them look generally the same. That's alright, though, because this nymph is cute regardless! I'm not sure how people get nice group photos of them—I only ever find nymphs alone. Maybe one day I'll be blessed with a giant cluster in an easy to photograph location. That's the dream...
Buffalo Treehopper (Stictocephala militaris), nymph, taken May 14, 2025, in Georgia, US
What a wicked-looking treehopper nymph! I see lots of these guys when they're very small, but this is my first time seeing a large nymph of this species, and I was certainly not disappointed! He was an excellent subject as well, sitting completely still even as I manhandled the vine he was sitting on for a better angle. The adults of this genus, like most treehoppers, look unrecognizable next to their nymphs. All of the spikes disappear, and what is left is a smooth, teardrop-shaped green hopper with clear wings and two red horns on either side of its head, kind of like a buffalo as the name would imply!
Keeled Treehopper (Entylia carinata), taken April 27, 2025, in Georgia, US
A lifer treehopper for me! This guy flew in and landed right on top of a fly. Because of that, I thought it was another fly but noticed the pigmentation was strange, so I bent down for a closer look. Thank god I did, because this guy is epic! I'm always on the lookout for treehoppers, but they seem so rare to me. Hopefully this spring brings me even more hopper luck!
Coppery Leafhopper (Jikradia olitoria), nymph, taken April 12, 2025, in Georgia, US
A teeny leafhopper nymph on a flower stem! My favorite leafhopper species is finally returning for the year! I can't wait for these nymphs to grow larger and gain their bright colors. The ones in this area tend to be orange and green, though nymphs of this species are highly variable, also coming in yellow, tan, brown, black, red, and white. All young nymphs look like this individual, being very dark brown and, in later instars, gain their unique colors!
Oh!!! I love!! Hehe admiring his reflection..
Treehoppers are so hard to come by, for me at least. I have lots of 2 species in my area, and likely more, but they're just so rare as adults lol! Interestingly enough, when I don't have a camera on me, they come and land on me. They know what I want, and how to not give it to me :(
Oak Treehopper (Platycotis vittata), taken October 23, 2024, in Georgia, US
A beautiful, freshly-peeled treehopper! This was my first time seeing one of these guys in person, and their colors are just magnificent. This species has two main morphs: one with a horn on the pronotum (one of the segments on the back) and one without. It would have been nice to see a horn-morph individual, but this one is nice as well!
Oak Treehopper (Platycotis vittata), taken October 23, 2024, in Georgia, US
A beautiful, freshly-peeled treehopper! This was my first time seeing one of these guys in person, and their colors are just magnificent. This species has two main morphs: one with a horn on the pronotum (one of the segments on the back) and one without. It would have been nice to see a horn-morph individual, but this one is nice as well!
Versute Sharpshooters (Graphocephala versuta), taken October 15, 2023, in Georgia, US
Some beautiful "red morph" versute sharpshooters looking all snug in some leaves! These photos were taken in their favorite little patch of plants—tall with long, tightly packed leaves for good protection and lots of surface area. I always find lots of G. versuta in there, though I often find G. coccinea (Red-banded Leafhopper) and many other assorted species of leafhoppers in the patch as well!
Coppery Leafhopper (Jikradia olitoria), female, taken August 24, 2024, in Georgia, US
Quite plain looking, but one of my favorite creatures in the life... This is a female leafhopper ovipositing (laying eggs) into the bark of an oak tree!
The ovipositors of Cicadomorphans (cicadas, leafhoppers, treehoppers, and spittlebugs) are reinforced with metals like manganese, zinc, and iron to make them strong enough to saw into bark, stems, and—in the cicada's case—straight into the woody branches of trees! These are some of my favorite insects, and J. olitoria is a local I've grown fond of seeing.
Here is the paper that goes into depth about the structure of the cicada ovipositor!