These bugs!
See the red beetle by my plant? The red lily beetles are out eating my lilies already. If I don’t kill them all before they mate (and I won’t) then they lay eggs which turn into poop covered larvae under the leaves which then can pretty much eat a plant in a day. I had an insecticide once which killed them but I think it is illegal now due to our bylaws. So I have to either drown them in soapy water or squish them. Either way, I have to individually pick them off the plants every day. But they just keep coming.
Sorry for the blur….my camera is not good close up with teeny tiny things.
Despite the burlap wrapping, some of the older cedar trees took a real beating this winter. I think a combination of the freshly stained deck and too many hits with the shovel killed this one. Hard to believe this was only a foot tall when we moved in 5.5 years ago.
Finished up the mulching and cutting back of plants today. Looking forward to picking up some pretty annuals for the planters and pots, but it will be another month before we are safe from frost so I’ll wait.
Have a great week.
J
2014 Picture of the day 