CUCKOO-SPIT, CUCKOO-SPITTLE, n. A dew or exudation found on plants, especially about the joints of lavender and rosemary. Or a froth or spume found on the leaves of certain plants, as on white field-lychnis or catch-fly, called sometimes spatling poppy.
http://65.66.134.201/cgi-bin/webster/webster.exe?search_for_texts_web1828=cuckoo-spit
I spelled Lavender as “lavendar” in the Either/Or previous post today (edited to reflect correction invisibly). I noticed it and went to Webster’s 1828 to verify and yes, it was mispelled. But I found that Lavender is referenced in the above word, and felt the desire to post the word and definition.
Is this the stuff that I see sometimes around some of my herbs, or wildflowers in the front of the house? I must do some more research.
It’s spatling poppy or cuckoo-spit or cuckoo-spittle. Interesting. It’s a frothy white thing that I’ve wondered about, it’s not there all the time or often, just seen sometimes, like on the right place of my Purple Cone Flowers in my herb garden, for example, as mentioned above in the definition. I’ve associated it with some mysterious bug, but never wondered past that to find anything in a book or online. Funny how one finds info via odd paths of mistakes. 🙂