Bug ID, please?

NealAddy

For scale, the flower this little guy is sitting on is about the size of a penny.

How does one begin to ID these types of backyard critters?

Lord Vetinari

Lovely shot - some type of plant hopper I think.
A general insect/ bug guide book for your Country/are location is a good start to help ID what genral bug family it belongs to. You can also find good ID places on the Web for your area- eg www.bugguide.net is good for the US.
Brian v.

AlexWild

Nice shot.

That's a leafhopper (= family Cicadellidae), a very diverse group of plant-sucking insects found worldwide and recognizeable by the series of long spines on the hind legs.

Bugguide.net is a great resource, but given the enormous diversity of insects the bugguide database can be confusing if you don't already have some insect knowledge. I highly recommend the Kaufmann Insect guide as a start:

http://www.amazon.com/Kaufman-Field-Insects-America-Guides/dp/0618153101

NealAddy

Thanks, folks. I'm still struggling with bird ID's so it's intimidating to think I'll be tackling bugs now. With so much diversity it seems overwhelming!

I was just on the verge of ordering the Peterson guide but I'll definitely check out the Kaufmann first.

AlexWild

NealAddy wrote: »

Thanks, folks. I'm still struggling with bird ID's so it's intimidating to think I'll be tackling bugs now. With so much diversity it seems overwhelming!

I was just on the verge of ordering the Peterson guide but I'll definitely check out the Kaufmann first.

The Peterson Guide, while a bit dated, is the most thorough and technically detailed of the insect field guides. But it is rather advanced. It assumes a high level of background knowledge as well as access to high magnification, like a microscope. I'd not recommend it for anyone new to insects.

Kaufmann is much better suited as an entry level guide. The NWF guide is good, too, it covers fewer species but gives more information for the insects it does include.