The nymphs are similar in appearance but lack wings. Damaging populations may be more likely when temperatures are between 70 and 90 F, when harvest is delayed, or when alfalfa is strip-cut or cut in blocks. Meadow spittlebug damage is most likely on legumes seeded in small-grain stubble. Spray applications are not profitable unless there are one or more spittle masses per stem by mid-May. Adults vary in color and marking, ranging from light gray to dark brown, with spots, strips, or bands on the wing covers.
Adults walk with their front four legs and drag their back legs.
The nymphal stage is found within the frothy spittle mass that they secrete. They are about .03 inch long and orange. As they develop, they become greenish yellow and then green. Eggs are laid during August and September in small-grain stubble, alfalfa, or weeds, where they overwinter. They begin to hatch during April in Pennsylvania.