Mating Leaffooted Bugs on Thistle
April 13, 2010
I love your site and it has really helped me learn more about identifying bugs. I spotted this pair of Leptoglossus phyllopus (leaffooted bugs) on a dense thistle plant in central Florida just this past week. All the ‘webbing’ in the photo is just fibers from the thistle plant, which according to your site is the favorite haunt for this particular bug.
Karen H.
Belleview, FL
Hi Karen,
Your mating Leaf Footed Bugs are a marvelous addition to our website and our Bug Love pages. According to BugGuide, Leptoglossus phyllopus may be identified because: “The straight white or pale yellow bar crossing the back is distinctive to this species. In other Leptoglossus species it may be zig-zagging or broken into dots. In one species (L.ashmeadi) it is yellow-orange.” BugGuide also mentions its fondness for thistle.