Cuckoo Spit

My entry for Tiny Tuesday hosted by jensphotos. Its Cuckoo Spit on my Rosemary plant.  I have always called this foam Cuckoo Spit but didn't know what it exactly was or why it appeared on plants.  So I Googled.

Cuckoo spit has no connection with cuckoos. It is a white frothy liquid secreted by the nymphs of a sap-sucking insect known as a froghopper to protect them from predators.  Blobs of white frothy liquid develop on young stems and leaves of a range of plants in late spring and summer. Each blob contains a creamy white insect nymph up to ¼inch long. Apart from producing the 'spit' these insects have little detrimental effect on plants and can be tolerated.

I never knew there was an insect in among the froth so I took a look and sure enough there was a tiny white insect in there. Something new I have learned today. I tried to get a photo but it was just too small - and wriggly.

I had a doctors appointment this afternoon.  You might remember that a few weeks ago I went to see the doctor about itchiness I have been having.  I had blood tests which all came back OK.  The doctor prescribed moisurising cream - which has made no difference. The itch is present every day in lots of different places and its driving me mad.  So I was back to the doc today to see what else could be done.  She prescribed anti- histamines.  So after my appointment I went to the chemist to collect my tablets and then came straight home as I didn't need any shopping today.

I was supposed to do the hoovering but the weather was so lovely I decided to make the most of it and sit outside on the patio in the cat enclosure.  I had opened the patio door earlier so the cats have been in and out all day. When I went out there I spotted a poor dead blue tit on the ground.  I have no idea if it just died a natural death and fell into the enclosure .... or maybe it flew in there and was caught by Tino or Lily.  Its something which has never happened before. Birds don't usually get through the mesh.

The parcel which went missing and was not delivered by Yodel contained a little wooden side table for outdoor use.  So when I got the refund for that I ordered another table online.  It came today so I took it into use straight away.  Its just a small one but big enough for me to keep essentials close to hand when I'm sitting outside. I love it. It has a beautiful hand painted glass top - you can see it in my Extras.

Steps today 6,608