For some reason I find tree hoppers, plant hoppers, and leaf hoppers very interesting. I catch myself scanning branches, stems, leaves, and looking for them. They blend in incredibly well and often closely mimic leaf buds and twigs. In extreme numbers they can damage a plant but most often we never even know they are there. There are littereally hundreds of species of hoppers many of them specific to certain plants. One way I often find them is by the ants tending them. The hoppers feed on plant and tree sap and excrete sweet honeydew. The ants protect and tend the hoppers and will stroke the hoppers to get them to supply honeydew. So on to our subject the treehopper known as Entylia carinata.
There were two ants actively tending this treehopper. It was actually difficult to get a shot without one of the two in the shot.
and finally another shot of an ant tending the hopper.
