I do not use pesticides in my garden. Period. Close paragraph.
Because of my complete avoidance of pesticides my garden is full of life. Bees, ants, beetles and the birds that eat them.
Usually my garden gets into a balance. I have a little insect damage to some plants but I can live with that if it means I get all of the other insects and birds that bring movement and activity to my garden.
This year I'm having more than normal damage to my plants. And it's not on the expected ones. My hostas have little damage (and they are like crack to the deer, rabbits and slugs!).
My Echinacea purpura is loosing it's petals to something. Not the leaves. Just the petals. I found this little inchworm on one of the blooms. The culprit?
One of my Heucheras (coral bells, this one is called Stoplight) has major insect damage. The others right next to it? Not so much.
This one is weird. Tricolor sage. Usually herbs are left alone by most herbivores and insects. The strong flavors and smells are part of their defenses. But this one is just being eaten alive. Insects or the new batch of baby bunnies I've been spotting? (yes, even at four inches they can be on their own. And it doesn't take much to hide them - they're hiding under my perennials!)
And this one - Aster (Symphotrichium?) October skies. Eaten to the stem. Another plant with aromatic foliage.
I'm not even considering a pesticide but I'm hopeful that they'll survive the summer onslaught and return next year, bigger and stronger. And maybe the rabbits will nest somewhere else so my yard isn't filled with cute little eating machines.
[Sorry no pictures of the baby bunnies - they flee if they even think I'm reaching for a camera. Try here for an example of what they look like. Could you turn this little guy out of your garden? I don't think so!]
Wow... someone's got the munchies! I know what you mean though, I seem to have lot of weird damage too. One of my lilies (one of the spiky ones) was decimated, like by a piranha or something. Really ugly stem. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI have a cat that is a real hunter. She won't bother the adult bunnies but thinks the babies are fair game and delicious, apparently. I never even see the cute little things.... alive.
ReplyDeletehttp://weedingonthewildside.blogspot.com
I have the similar damage, on the same plants! Did you ever identify the culprit? All the petals on my Echinacea have been eaten but the foliage is fine. My 2 yellow Coral Bells have been nearly defoliated. The 2 taller rust Coral Bells less so. The 2 Purple Palace (planted away from the others) look great. The all the Sage planted by the Purple Palace Coral Bells are chewed up. My Asters look generally unwell, some chewed leaves but they also have other issues. I don't think rabbits are my problem. Several night expeditions didn't turn up many slugs. I can't figure out what else could cause so much damage in so little time without being seen.
ReplyDelete