Have you ever been on a walk and noticed the foam-like substance that lays on-top of some plants looking extremely out of place? The first time I ever witnessed this, I genuinely thought that somebody washed their car and the suds just landed in the woods. The second time I saw the suds in a different part of Maine on a completely different hike, i realized that this “soap” must have a scientific explanation behind it and had to find out.

Well, the answer lies in a creature called the spittlebug, and it’s very dangerous to your plants and trees. According to maine.gov, there’s two species in the spittlebug family, both considered “serious pests” in Maine. The first species of spindle is the pine spittlebug, the second is the Saratoga spittlebug. Oh, and the foamy looking cocoon you’re seeing sitting up in the crevices of bushes and trees is their “spittle”. The more you know.

Here’s how the bug survives in a house full of bubbles:

Maine.gov explains:

“There are many species of spittlebugs that feed on conifers and broad-leaved ornamentals. Heavy infestations cause flagging branches, dead terminal growth, and stunted and distorted stems and branches, and will kill trees in two to three years”.