These odd white insect pods are attached to the vine that grows on my chicken run. I noticed them a couple of weeks ago, but haven't had any luck identifying them with Internet searches. Yesterday, I decided to take a picture with the hope that someone reading this blog might know what they are.
The long, bumpy blobs are quite small, maybe 5mm, and they're brittle to touch. Most of them are clustered around one stem, but there is one sitting alone on a leaf. The pods do not seem to have harmed the plant in any way--at least not yet. The plant they are attached to is a vanilla trumpet vine.
So, any insect experts out there who can identify these weird little white things? I am so curious to know what insect emerges from this particular incubation chamber, if that is indeed what these are.
I have NO idea, but maybe this website could help you out: http://www.whatsthatbug.com/
I recently read about it on Sunset's garden blog (http://freshdirt.sunset.com/2009/10/the-art-of-insect-id.html)
I think what you have are known by a few common names - cottony scale or cushion scale or cottony cushion scale. They don't look exactly like the ones that I have seen, but there are tons of different species:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottony_cushion_scale
I work at a botanical garden and am fairly used to seeing regular scale, but the first time I saw one of these cottony guys I was really curious. Strange creatures!
Rachel, I think you're right. They seem to be very damaging to citrus trees, and I have several of those in my yard. So, I'll have to keep my eyes peels for these guys and get rid of them where I can.