Viburnum Leafhopper adult

I found this thorn mimic leafhopper last September on my Korean Spice Viburnum (Viburnum carlesii). To my eye, it did not blend in at all on this thornless shrub. The white masses are its eggs. This species was first named as a scale insect from a mistaken idea that these were insects and not eggs. After the mistake was noticed, the name was transferred to this genus.

When I found the eggs last September they were white and sticky. It is now December and the eggs are still white and sticky even on days when it is 10 degrees F. Perhaps this stickiness discourages birds from eating the eggs. I have seen Black-capped Chickadees in this shrub and they don’t seem to bother the eggs. The egg masses now have pieces of leaves and other dirt adhering to their surface but the egg masses themselves are still white and easy to notice. I expected them to darken with age so they would blend into the viburnum twigs better.

Viburnum Leafhopper eggs L-September R-December

I know as a gardener I should destroy the egg masses, but I have never observed this species before and the egg masses are few in number. I want to study and photograph the nymph stage. I will monitor the insects in the spring to insure they are not serious garden pests.
Copyright 2013 by Donald Drife

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