Spittlebugs of Iowa

Heidi Anderson of Polk County Conservation shares about an insect at Chichaqua Bottoms with unique survival habits. The spittlebug is creating a foam that it hides in while it feeds on the sap of a plant. Spittlebugs usually do not cause enough harm to kill the plant.

• What was the spittlebug doing?

• How was the spittlebug helping itself survive?
• Do we see other animals who change the world around them meet their needs?

Students could:

• Brainstorm what different living things need to survive.
• Observe plants, animals, and insects around home and discuss how they think they survive.
• Explore how other plants and animals survive in different environments around Iowa and around the world (Wild Kratts Creaturepedia).
• Observe photos of different Iowa birds in their nests; compare the birds’ nest to what their different needs might be.
• Discuss the differences between bird nests of Iowa and why the birds might make them that way.
• Design and build a birdhouse or nest based on the needs of an Iowa bird.

• ​PBS KIDS | Wild Kratts Creaturepedia: Interactive animation of different animals and how their needs are met in their different environments.
• New York Times | Inside the Spittlebug’s Bubble Home: Video and article about the spittlebug and how it creates foam.
• University of Minnesota Extension | Spittlebugs in Home Gardens: Shows the lifecycle of a spittlebug and how to identify them.
• National Geographic |  Cats and Their Coats: Additional lesson resource for students to practice learning how animals’ needs are met by camouflaging to match their environment.
• Ohio State Buckeye Yard and Garden Online | Burrowing Crayfish Activity on the Rise: Another phenomenon in which animals alter the environment to meet their needs.