Candy stripe
This summer I took a picture of this bug because I liked its carmine and green coloring. I tried to figure out what kind of insect it was, but I didn't have any luck in my internet searches. Today in the library I saw a copy of Jeffrey Hahn's Insects of the North Woods in the new books section. I have other books in the North Woods Naturalist Series, and I've even spoken with publishers Rick Kollath and Sparky Stensaas on the phone when I reviewed some of their guides for the Star Tribune newspaper. But I don't yet own the insect book, which just came out in September of 2009.
Anyway, I quickly found my bug on page 75. It's a kind of leafhopper. The scientific name is Graphocephala coccinea, but the common name is the candy-striped leafhopper. My photo makes the candystriper look pretty big, but it was only about 1/3 inch long. I found it on the leaf of a houseplant I brought outside for the summer.
Other books in the North Woods Naturalist Series include Moths & Caterpillars of the North Woods (Sogaard), Dragonflies of the North Woods (Mead), Butterflies of the North Woods (Weber), Spiders of the North Woods (Weber), and Amphibians & Reptiles of the North Woods (Sheldon). The guides are specific to the north woods of the U.S. & Canada, and they're a handy 4.5 by 8.25 inches — just slender enough to slip into your back pocket for a walk.
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