The purpose of this forum is to help people identify things they've seen while out hiking: wildflowers, trees, birds, insects, small animals, animal tracks, even geographical features like buttes or streams
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drm
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- Location: The Dalles, OR
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by drm » June 23rd, 2015, 1:16 pm
Always wondered what this disgusting stuff is. Googling the phrase "slimy foamy stuff in the forest leaves" gave me the answer: the spittlebug nymph. Though it isn't actually spittle from the bug. It makes it out of the plants sap, without really harming the plant. It protects the insect in it's nymph phase.
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texasbb
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- Location: Tri-Cities, WA
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by texasbb » June 23rd, 2015, 2:56 pm
Appropriate name I suppose. As a kid I always called it spider spit. Hated it then, hate it now.
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drm
- Posts: 6152
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- Location: The Dalles, OR
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by drm » June 24th, 2015, 7:21 am
Apparently if you actually clean away the foam, the bug is in there.
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vibramhead
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by vibramhead » June 24th, 2015, 3:40 pm
Thanks for clearing that up. I've wondered about those foam blobs too.
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kaltbluter
- Posts: 397
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by kaltbluter » June 24th, 2015, 4:22 pm
Always called them spit bugs. Never knew the 'spit' was sap.
The kids and I volunteered for a clean up at Mary's Peak last weekend and got their spit smeared all over my legs. It's a little less nasty knowing the spit is plant goo and not critter excretion.
