Essex, Not Ibiza, Foam Lover

I went outside the back door with the camera for a very short time today as I have had lots of admin to deal with.

I checked out the bee mansion bought for me by a mate. A large spider's nest in the eaves was minus all the the little black speckles. Surely the spiders haven't hatched at this time of year?

I shot a green shield bug that had turned bronze and this meadow froghopper. I got more detail in the pic that I took with flash but this without is prettier. Its scientific name is Philaenus spumarius, which translates as 'foam lover', referring to the sparkling foamy nests of the larvae, known as cuckoo-spit. These insects are also called spittle-bugs. They are found in up to twenty different colour combinations.