Spittlebug Bubbles Along a Fort Smith Trail

Tiny bubbles on a plant stopped me during a walk at Sunnymede Park in Fort Smith, Arkansas. I knew right away that I was looking at spittlebug bubbles.

I photographed the small patch of foam near the trail on May 14, 2023. It was one of those quiet details that can be easy to miss.

Spittlebug Bubbles on a Sunnymede Park Plant

I spotted these bubbles on a plant growing near the trail. The foam looked delicate, but it had a purpose.

Spittlebugs are small insects in the order Hemiptera. They are also called froghoppers because the adults can jump long distances.

The bubbles come from the nymph stage. A spittlebug nymph makes the foam from saliva and air. It then lives inside that frothy cover.

That bubble mass helps protect the nymph from predators and the weather. It also helps hide a very small insect in plain sight.

I was interviewed about spittlebugs back in May 2016 for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article, Bubble, bubble: Toll, but no real trouble. Seeing this fresh patch of foam brought that subject back to mind.

How Spittlebugs Use Their Foamy Cover

Spittlebugs feed on plant sap. They can cause some plant damage, but they are not usually considered a major pest.

The nymphs can become noticeable when several of them are present. The foam can look strange if you have never seen it before.

I understand why people stop and wonder what made it. The bubbles look more like something dropped onto the plant than something made by an insect.

That mystery is what makes them interesting to me. A small clump of foam can point to a living insect tucked inside.

Photographing Tiny Bubbles Along the Trail

I photographed these spittlebug bubbles in the morning, at 7:19 A.M. The plant was near the trail, so I worked from where I could get a clear view without disturbing it.

The Canon RF 100-500mm lens helped me isolate the bubbles. I used the long end of the lens to frame the small subject.

Camera Settings:

• Camera: Canon EOS R7
• Lens: Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
• Location: Sunnymede Park, Fort Smith, Arkansas
• Date and time: May 14, 2023, 7:19 A.M.
• Aperture: f/8
• Shutter speed: 1/800
• ISO: 1250, Auto
• Exposure compensation: 0
• Focal length: 500mm
• Support: Hand-held

This was not a dramatic wildlife encounter. It was a small trail-side discovery.

That is one reason I enjoyed it. Nature often gives us something worth noticing, even in a tiny patch of bubbles on a plant.