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Project Noah Nature School
Graphocephala atropunctata
The blue-green sharpshooter has green to bright blue wings, head, and thorax, and yellow legs and abdomen, which are visible on the underside. It is about 0.4 inches long.
Grape vines, almond trees, and alfalfa are all foods. This hopper lives on plant juices which it gets by piercing leaves and using sucking mouth parts. It may live in any meadow, near streams, in orchards and nurseries, and at vineyards. It is considered a pest and, along with other leaf hoppers is controlled where possible. Hoppers hide well, and I saw only this one during a visit to El Dorado Park.
This leaf hopper is one of several hoppers known to transmit the gammaproteobacteria "Xylella fastidious" (also known as "Pierce's Disease"). This form of leaf scorch is economically important as there is no current treatment for the bacterium, and it effects several economically important crops. In California, this includes grapes.
Spotted on May 31, 2012
Submitted on May 31, 2012
12 Comments
what a beauty!
They always eat my sunflowers, but I never want to get rid of them. such a beautiful creature.
Hi guys, I agree it's a pity they're such pests. On their own, they don't do enough damage to kill plants - they would only be a problem in ornamental agriculture. It's because they're a disease vector for a bacteria we can't control that they're so harmful. The hoppers don't mean to kill their host plants.
Very nice!
Beautiful spotting! Shame it's such a pest.
this is such a lovely spotting!
Wow! Thanks guys!
Yay, thank you Christine! Such a great addition to both missions.
really nice one!
So pretty!
Thanks for reminder Cindy! I'm zonked - long day! I was already a part of SCW, and have joined Hoppers. I'll add to both.
Beautiful! Please add to the Hoppers mission at: http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/8096... I'd also appreciate you adding it to the Southern California Wildlife mission at: http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/7964...