Report From An Opinionated Gardener – May 3
That was part of my response to a professional landscapers’ message board when one of the members asked if the winter moth was out. My answer was yes, this relatively new pest has hatched and the larvae are eating. It’s a jungle out there!
I spent part of Sunday spraying Spinosad on my crabapples, roses, maples and willows. I also sprayed the few leaves that had opened on the purple leaf beech tree. Most of the leaves on this tree were still curled buds, but I noticed that those that had begun to unfurl were already pierced with holes. Those fiendish larvae crawl into the buds and begin feeding even before the leaves have opened.
This closed bud feeding plays havoc with blueberries because the tiny caterpillar eats out the reproductive parts of the flower so that they don’t form fruit. Grrr…
Spring is a time of great hope and anticipation. It’s a time when we are tempted to focus only on pretty flowers and future vegetables…only to be slapped upside the head by early attacks on our unfolding plants by the pest du jour.
Such is life. New growth and new problems, all rolled up together.
