There is lots of Cuckoo spit around over the summer. Until last year that exactly what I thought it was! It is actually a little insect, a Common Froghopper nymph, Philaenus spurmartus. The nymph resembles the adult shape but has no wings. Its exoskeleton needs protecting at this stage as it is not hard, so it surrounds itself in these frothy bubbles, these tastes horrid to any predators. The nymph will shed several times before the summer when it will emerge as an adult. This particular photo shows the nymph on the Helicrysum (I see it mostly on lavender) and is only 5mm long, beginning to produce the froth to hide in. It is called a froghopper because it resembles a frog and can hop from stem to stem if it is disturbed.
It was unusual to see it producing the bubbles - usually it's only the bubbles I see!
