Stoneflies or leafhoppers: Which could become the official state insect?

Stonefly. Photo credit: Michigan State University Plant & Pest Diagnostics.

By JUSTIN FOX CLAUSEN, Capital News Service

Two insects are under consideration as the official state insect: the stonefly and, more recently, the Huron River leafhopper.

The topic of a state insect has been bugging Michigan for years. The state is one of two without an official insect, alongside Iowa.

The earliest recorded effort at declaring a state insect was the honeybee in 1973, which the Senate rejected. Previous contenders that are no longer active include the monarch butterfly, the black swallowtail butterfly and the green darner dragonfly.

According to a social media post by Rep. Brad Paquette, R-Niles, who sponsored the Huron River leafhopper bill, the latest six-legged candidate was suggested by a third grader who reached out to him.

Paquette said that although it wasn’t something he’d normally work on, the wholesome request from a child was tough to turn down.

Rep. Carrie Rheingans, D-Ann Arbor, is the only cosponsor on the leafhopper bill. She also cosponsored the bill to make the stonefly the state insect.

Rheingans said one reason she hopped onto the leafhopper bill was that her daughter, also in third grade, wants to be an entomologist.

Rheingans said that having a native species as a state symbol can educate residents and promote conservation efforts, especially for endangered species.

The Huron River leafhopper is one of only two species endemic to Michigan and is classified as endangered under state law. The only recorded sightings have been in Oakland and Mackinac counties, according to the Michigan Natural Features Inventory.

The stonefly had previously been suggested by a class of fifth graders in Grand Rapids who proposed it due to the insect’s association with water cleanliness.

That bill was introduced by Rep. Stephen Wooden, D-Grand Rapids.

Both insects are tied to the overall health of an ecosystem, with the Okemos-based Michigan Nature Association citing the leafhopper as an important indicator in prairie and wetland ecosystems.

The leafhopper is closely associated with mat muhly, a threatened species of prairie grass.

If either insect is crowned, it would join such well-known state symbols as the brook trout (official fish), white-tailed deer (official mammal), mastadon (official fossil), American robin (official bird), manoomin – wild rice – (official native grain) and white pine (official tree).

But in terms of prospects for widespread public recognition, either winner would likely end up among the more obscure and unfamiliar symbols, including Kalkasaka sand (official soil) and the Isle Royale greenstone (official gem).

The rival bug bills are pending in the House Government Operations Committee.

Huron Valley leafhopper. Photo credit: Julie-Anne Dorval/Canadian National Collection.

This story was originally published by the Capital News Service  and is republished here under a syndication agreement. 

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.