Autumn Sightings: Pink Leafhopper

We were closing in on pounding the 1000th line post in the vineyard. When we do this task, I drive our tractor and work the hydraulics (the easier job) and my husband positions the line post and we pound it into the soil. We have gotten into a very good rhythm and sometimes it can take us as little as 2 minutes for the process of pounding one post and moving to the next location.
It was a somewhat cool day and the warmest place to be is on a tractor when the hydraulics are being operated. I revel in the heat generated from this activity because it keeps me comfortably warm. So, it was no wonder that this little insect chose the tire to find a little respite from the cold. I mentally debated the time it would take to get a photo of this leaf hopper, but the contrast of the pink and the blue of the Landini Mistral was too good to pass up. So, in between working the hydraulics for our Atlas Copco post pounder, I whipped out the camera that I carry in my overall pocket and started taking some photos. Meanwhile, my husband who was positioning the line post was telling me to "Focus! focus!" When we got home and I showed him the photos of this tiny but beautiful vineyard visitor, he forgave me.

Looking online, I was able to identify this pink leafhopper as a member of Gyponana gladia, or also possibly Gyponana octolineata. You might ask, "What does this have to do with grape growing" and my answer would be, "Not much", but then working in a vineyard is all about observation and sometimes the bonus of seeing amazing creatures!
Reference:
1. American Insects, Gyponana gladia.