I know the leafhopper is a leafhopper, I think . The other items on the stem are not growths or anything like that, they walk and are bugs or insects of some kind. Where the white "tailfeathers" or "antennae" or whatsis stick out appears to be the back end because the other end leads when they move. Since that leafhopper is right there I wonder if they are nymphs or immature forms but what the heck ever they are they certainly are strangely wonderful. They almost look like wooden masks or faces with white feather headdresses!

That's a hardy hibiscus they're hanging out with.

That's exactly what they, nymphs. I squish the ones I find. They are pretty neat looking. Google planthopper nymphs and you'll see more kinds.

Thanks, Celia.

You are very welcome.

Nice deduction skills... I curse them daily, as go thru and flush them off my plants, or crush the occasional slow one, they're really fun I try not to marvel at them, but are sucking the life from your plants, and possibly infecting them with any number of pathogens they can carry.

I can't confirm it but I've found dead leaves at the end of healthy stalks on my colocasia, and I'm pretty sure that these buggers are to blame, I could be wrong about that.

Looks like Scale too... but i'm no expert on bugs.

Amongst the Acanaloniid Planthoppers, Acanalonia conica looks closest ..

http://bugguide.net/node/view/...

http://bugguide.net/node/view/...