Beautiful Leafhoppers - Cuerna alpina

I had just been photographing some beautiful cones on a coniferous tree (Douglas Fir?) along the Red Rock Parkway in Waterton Lakes National Park. Friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, had made a brief stop along the way. I happened to notice some tiny “bumps” along the stem of a plant, and when I zoomed in as close as I could, I discovered these beautifully patterned Leafhoppers. I would love to have been able to take a macro shot of them, but I have to avoid any bending because of my back issue. Still, a heavily cropped shot is better than nothing. This was the first time I had ever seen these amazingly beautiful insects. Taken on 26 August 2014, our first day in Waterton. We spent the next day in the park, too, and then for the third day of our trip, we drove something like two hours east of Waterton Park before we turned and headed back to Calgary.

"Leafhopper is a common name applied to any species from the family Cicadellidae. These minute insects, colloquially known as hoppers, are plant feeders that suck plant sap from grass, shrubs, or trees. Their hind legs are modified for jumping, and are covered with hairs that facilitate the spreading of a secretion over their bodies that acts as a water repellent and carrier of pheromones." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafhopper