Life on the sweet peas

A friend gave me some sweet pea seeds this spring so I planted a bunch of them just to see what would happen.  They are all doing very well and seem to be thriving.  And, they are also attracting some interesting insect life.  I had to hunt a bit for an id on this little leafhopper.  Turns out to be a broad-headed sharpshooter (a leafhopper) and she is being tended by several small black ants.  

Ants and most of the hoppers (leaf, plant and tree) have an interesting symbiotic relationship.  The female hopper will attach herself to some sort of vegetation, usually on a stalk or vein.  She will lay eggs and then sit there and wait until the nymps emerge.  The ants will start tending the female while she's waiting - she produces a sweet subtance (honeydew) which the ants love.  When the nymphs emerge, they will also be attended and "milked" by the ants.  The ants will protect the nymphs from predators and even from inquisitive human fingers.  It's one of the more intriguing relationships in the insect world, at least in my opinion.  

I have no idea (yet) what the tiny nymph on the left side of the frame is.  I believe it is some sort of planthopper but not entirely sure.

Had a great long talk with my parents this morning.  They are planning to stay in for the next few days, avoiding the worst of the terrible heat "silo" that is impacting the Pacific Northwest right now.  I hope that my many blip friends in that region are able to stay cool and safe - this is a very dangerous weather occurrence especially in a region where less than half of households have air conditioning.  Stay in, drink lots of water, and consider something in a dark chocolate...just because.

On the cancer recovery front - the rash is ever-so-slowly improving.  Fatigue still present and seems to hit me hardest in the early afternoon.  I'd like to think it wasn't so bad today, but it's really hard to tell.  

Onwards and upwards.

xo
Debbi