My last post was atypically serious for me, so I feel the need to cleanse with a standard “ack, my garden” post. Bit by bit, the pests are starting to find my garden. What if they tell their friends?
I knew what those ants on my pumpkin vines were up to, so I was prepared mentally for yesterday’s discovery, if not emotionally. The aphids had found the pumpkins. I thought about reaching for the soapy water, but the affected leaves were few, so I removed just those leaves and stuck them in the soapy water instead. I know I can’t continue to do that, but I wasn’t worried about affecting the plant — people sometimes pinch off whole vines in growing their pumpkins. One or two leaves shouldn’t be a problem. But there will be more aphids, so I best prepare the soapy spray.
Today I got up to check the garden and found that something had chopped off a large section of one of the corn plants. This was no grasshopper, unless it was the big dude from the other day back to seek revenge. What might it be? Opossum? Dog? No evidence on the ground to help me solve the mystery.
The garden’s not too far from my bedroom window. I need a spotlight and a switch inside the house so that I can spy on the garden from time to time during my insomniac moments in the night (brought about by the cats attacking my toes and dogs who are either thirsty or need to go outside having drunk all their water). Perhaps a bright light will help me catch the culprit in the act. Of course, if it’s not mammal-caused, then perhaps it won’t do me a bit of good.
Most of the corn is fine and healthy. But a few seedlings stay small, victims of terrible regular feasting by a vicious corn-eating monster. You thinking what I’m thinking? Grasshopper.
NEWS FLASH: This just in. Either the evil grasshopper from two days ago came back to the garden, or I found his cousin, who jumped up to the trellis wires. He expected me to run and get my camera, I know, but instead I removed both my flip flops and sandwiched him in between. Gruesome, you say? Did you see what he did to my poor corn plants? Remember, he makes babies. Or she. Or it. The Thing. No pictures. I’m not that gruesome!
I noticed that two of my pumpkin plants are starting to show strange discoloring to their leaves. I don’t know whether this is normal or some sort of powdery mildew or other disease. Only some leaves are affected, and only two plants. What does this mean? Or am I showing my newbness and those are perfectly normal pumpkin leaves and all pumpkins do that?
While I was taking pictures, this black bug flew down. What is he?
The leafminer flies are frequent visitors to the plants. Though the damage of their larvae is slight, it’s unsightly. Not slightly unsightly, hoho.
I’m checking the plants daily for more evidence of squash vine borer eggs and for more of those little unknown red bugs. The closest thing I can come up with on identifying that bug is flea beetle, but there don’t seem to be any pictures to support this.
I know it’s only going to get worse. But I’m still going to do my best to keep all these and new pests at bay! <breaks out the boxer gloves>
I’ve had a lot of leaf miner damage too this year. I don’t think I’d ever noticed it in the old garden. Different soil conditions, or different weather? I don’t know.
The last photo is very much similar to what we have in our garden. Not many, but keep us wondering, who made that artistry trails on leaves…
~bangchik
I’ve got a picture somewhere of the actual little leafminer fly — it apparently lays its eggs in the leaves and they tunnel around as they feed. I’ll try to post a picture sometime soon. Or I’ll just take another one. I’ve got plenty of flies to spare, haha.
Good question, Pam. At least they aren’t so bad that I’m frustrated by it. It’s only a small percentage of leaves that are being eaten, and those just partially so.
I’ve just assumed that plants under stress are more vulnerable to attack, and there’s less competition because of the drought.
Make sense?
Argh! It seems when the HOT weather enters, so do the dreaded bugs. My sunflowers are starting to get munched on. And earwigs have infested my garden. I’ve sprayed and sprayed for those buggers, but they always seem to find their way back in. Grrrr. No clue what that black bug is! I always enjoy your posts Meredith. You’ve got a fun sense of humor.
Haha, thanks, Miss Daisy. You are always so sweet. Have you figured out whether your earwigs are predatory or plant-eating ones? I’ve got earwigs, too, but I think they are the predatory kind, so I leave them alone to do their job. I know other kinds can cause damage though.
Meredith, you are hilarious and soooooo remind me of myself when it comes to bugs. They piss me off, disgust me, fascinate me, and worry me on a daily basis. Though i do pride myself on being able to spot leaf miner damage a mile away. That’s what I usually point out to people when I want them to think I’m a master gardener.
Oh my gosh, don’t give away our secrets! Hehe.
I think the “discoloration” on your pumpkin leaves is normal. This spring, I brought a similar-looking leaf from a squash plant (another cucurbit) to Barton Springs Nursery to ask one of the staff what the “problem” was. Naturally, I made sure the leaf was hermetically sealed in a Ziploc bag to protect the healthy nursery plants from whatever disease it carried. The woman I asked looked intently at the leaf from all angles before playfully hiting me on the arm with the bag and proclaiming, “It’s a perfectly healthy leaf, silly!”
Thank you — that makes me feel much better!
Ugh, aphids. They attacked my tomatoes just after I planted them out in the spring. I was worried, but hand-squishing and soapy water did the trick! Good luck. -Jackie