A talented nature photographer named Andreas Kay, uploaded a short video to his YouTube channel capturing a strange little insect that sort of looks like a walking piece of popcorn.
This flatid planthopper nymph from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador is covered with waxy filaments for protection.
This walking cloud or a piece of popcorn with tiny legs is actually an insect from Ecuador called the flatid planthopper. “This tiny flatid planthopper nymph from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador is covered with waxy filaments for protection,” the photographer wrote in the description of the video.
The flatid planthopper is a tiny bug whose name comes from the fact that they often “hop” from one plant to another when moving around. The video by Andrea Kay captures a nymph of the insect.
Flatid planthopper nymphs are light green with faint longitudinal orange stripes, though these colors are often masked by a flocculent wax coating that they secrete when moving around, turning them into little clouds with legs.
An adult flatid planthopper has wings that are completely white or with a slight shade of pale green. Their eyes can be red, green, white, or yellow. These insects drink plant juice from stems, but don’t cause significant harm to the plant itself. However, these bugs may leave a white, waxy residue on branches and leaves, making it appear a bit unattractive.