Tickets
Menu
Get Tickets
Directions
Hours
Tickets
$14.00
General Admission
Ages 13 and up
Free
Members Admission
All ages
$6.00
STL Resident Rate
Proof of residency required.
$14.00
Seniors Rate
Seniors 65+
Scout Programs
School Groups
Join
Donate
Make a Donation
Commemorative Giving
Planned Giving
Corporate Partners
Become a Member
Plan Your Visit
The Garden
Hours & Admission
Getting Here
Map
Tours
Groups
Shop & Dine
Garden Gate Shop
Sassafras Restaurant and Cafe
Gift Cards
Little Shop Around the Corner
MBG Press
Top Attractions
Climatron
Japanese Garden
Sachs Museum
Children's Garden
Linnean House
Tram Tours
Things To Know
Accessibility
Garden Etiquette
Photography
Sustainability
Picnicking
Smoking
Prohibited Items
Today's Hours
9 a.m.–5 p.m. Last entry at 4:30 p.m.
Events & Classes
Next Event or Class
Best of Missouri Market
Friday, October 6
12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Upcoming Events & Classes
Chihuly in the Garden 2023
Tuesday, May 2 - Sunday, October 15
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Fall/Winter Class Registration
Tuesday, August 1 - Wednesday, February 28
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Chihuly Nights | SOLD OUT
Thursday, September 28 - Saturday, September 30
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
View Full Calendar
Plant Finder
Give Us a Call
(314) 577-5100
Login
Tickets
Menu
Menu
What’s In Bloom
Join Our Team
Book A Private Event
Plan A Birthday Party
Shop
About the Garden
Learn & Discover
Gardens & Gardening
Plant Science
Plant Conservation
Sustainability
Volunteer
Spittlebugs
Adult spittlebugs resemble robust leafhoppers (see Hoppers and Planthoppers) with many varied color patterns. They deposit eggs in rows between sheaths and stems of plants near the soil surface. Yellow nymphs become green as they reach full development. The nymphs form the namesake spittle by mixing air with the excretion of their alimentary canal. While perhaps unsightly, this most obvious symptom of the spittlebug's presence is not harmful to the host plant. Injury is caused rather by both nymphs and adults, who remove plant juices with their piercing-sucking mouthparts. Resulting damage includes stunted growth, shortened internodes, dwarfing, and a general loss of vitality. Strawberries, nursery stock, and legume forage crops are the spittlebug's favored hosts. Control infestations with insecticidal soap, preferably before adults begin laying eggs. Alternately, nymphs can be easily handpicked from small strawberry patches or dislodged by a jet of water.
The "spittle" of a spittlebug on lavender (
Lavendula
)
Frothy "spittle" of a spittlebug on lavender (
Lavendula
)
The back of a yellow-colored spittlebug nymph amid its "spittle" on a lavender stem (
Lavendula
)
Pale yellow spittlebug nymph on a lavender stem (
Lavendula
)
Spittlebugs on artemisia (
Artemisia ludoviciana
'Valerie Finnis') stems
Spittlebug nymph (Hemiptera) inside spittle on common sage (
Salvia officinalis
)
Spittlebug nymph (Hemiptera) found on common sage (
Salvia officinalis
)