This curious little critter is a rhododendron leafhopper (graphocephala fennahi) nymph. I snapped several shots of it in my garden today. It has excellent eyesight and flipped to the underside of its leaf every time I approached. I liked the softness of this shallow depth of field capture.
This is what it will look like later in the summer, when it is full-grown. The adults can fly short distances and make tricky subjects for the camera as they are very flighty and see me coming far too quickly. Although they do little damage to the rhododendron host themselves, outbreaks of a type of rhododendron mould have been connected with infestations of these pretty little critters. But I have to say, they have happily co-existed with my rhododendrons for the ten years we have been here and I consider them a colourful and welcome addition to my garden.
Focused Moments 
Very nice, Rachael. They look so colorful when grown up!
Thanks, Gracie. They are rather pretty, aren’t they? I will try to get some more shots of them in the autumn, although my rhododendrons are in a very dark part of the garden so the light is a challenge.
What lovely little creatures, I can understand your fascination with them. How big are they in comparison to something we know like a ladybird or something else?
They are quite small, slightly longer than a ladybird but thinner.
I must keep an eye out.
Wonderful Rachael.. I particularly like the soft green top one..
Thanks, Helen. The light is much nicer in that top shot.
Great shot. I really like how the background is out of focus and has a warm feel about it where as the leafhopper is in sharp focus and looks very distinctive.
Thanks. This year is the first time I have noticed the nymphs. If they hadn’t been on the rhododendrons, I might have thought they were a different type of hopper altogether.