All facts about a two-lined spittlebug had been placed into eight sentences on Wikipedia. Two of those dealt strictly with a two-lined spittlebug invasion of Hawaiʻi. Too quickly their infestation covered 70,000 ha. Ha! Ha? What’s a ha? Research time. A ha was the symbol for hectare. What’s a hectare? One hectare was a metric land unit within a square of ground with 100 meters per side, or 10,000 square meters. In Americanese, that meant one ha per 2.471 acres.
That’s hardly significant for Angelkeep. Angelkeep measured 1.07 acres according to Wells County Assessor Laura Roberts. Not even half of one ha.
Haha (as in, the columnist was snickering as he wrote.)
Probably the same person that gave us “ha,” suggested the scientific name for the two-lined spittlebug as Prosapia bicincta. Say, who named it that in 1830? Really Say did name it. Thomas Say identified it, named it, just like he did for the Say lightning bug, now Indiana’s official insect. Ha, Angelkeep was not sticking with that scientific name. A two-lined spittlebug hardly needed a description. The common name described it. Well almost.
The black wings of two-lined have two orange lines. They are horizontal to the wing length, dividing the wing area into equal parts. Orange lines on black are the exact reversal of the black lines on a basketball. Ha, Angelkeep was surprised that Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark have not tried to capitalize financially on two-lined spittlebug. Clark-Spittlebug apparel might be a game-changer.
Wiki failed to mention two-lined had a third line. The thorax of two-lined had a horizontal red-orange line dividing the black central body portion. The head area and largest joints of the legs held a deep maroon-red color, with smaller parts in black. Angelkeep math, be it metric or American, calculated 2 + 1 = 3. So why not a three-lined spittlebug.
Wiki measured two-lined spittlebug as nine millimeters. Angelkeep called that 3/8s of an inch. Say, that makes sense.
Expect to find one at Ouabache State Park. Why? Two-lined spittlebugs love to dine on redbud trees. If you experienced Ouabache in the spring, you noticed all roads in the park seemed to be lined with redbuds in bloom. The CCC boys of 1592 planted redbuds along the roads knowing full well of the spectacular beauty that would unfold each spring, long after they were dead and gone. Angelkeep possessed mature redbud trees, over two decades growth, thanks to the gift of a bundle of sticks with roots from Kirk Roberts back in Y2K.
Angelkeep studied the underside of two-lined spittlebug when encountered at Angelkeep. It somewhat resembled the bottom of a painted turtle, but much smaller. It seemed noteworthy to mention the two lines of orange on the wings ran through the wing and appeared on the underside of each wing.
The abdomen bottom had been divided into squares, many squares. The abdomen resembled a stained glass window. The exception was the fact that the red-orange color matching the single line on the thorax divided the sections. The squares themselves were black interiors, the area that if a stained glass window would have been the bright colors surrounded by black lead lines.
Six feet had the terminal digit of each leg in black. It appeared as though it had dressed to the nines and worn dressy black shoes on each foot. They stood out against the dramatic difference of the larger red leg portions attached.
It’s been three days shy of a full year since two-lined spittlebug introduced himself to Angelkeep and politely posed for so many photos. On the photo op day, it had been raining. Two-lined walked along a plant stem with large beads of water being carried on its wings looking like pearls of Waterford Chrystal glass. Waterford Chrystal, hand-made in Waterford, Ireland, remained popular but in small quantity at Angelkeep due to expense. Ireland’s flag was three-striped. One orange stripe. Orangemen were from Ireland, but that’s political. Angelkeep wrote nature, not politics. Angelkeep and politics was as uninviting as two-lined spittlebugs in Hawaiʻi.
Note to self: Why was there a reversed apostrophe in of Hawaiʻi? Research time.
First, look for the return of two-lined spittlebug.
Mr. Daugherty is a Wells County resident who, along with his wife Gwen, enjoy their backyard and have named it “Angelkeep.”
