Category Archives: pest control

Deer Proof Plants

July 14, 2019perennials, pest control, Urban gardening, vegetablesjane

Recently I was invited to visit Ms L’s garden so she could share with me her thoughts on some renovations she had in mind. I really enjoy visiting gardens, so I was pretty geeked to have been invited. She admitted due to a lack of time (you know that job-thing we all have to do?) the garden wasn’t looking how she’d like it to. Having recently retired, Ms L is ready to really dig in and whip the garden into shape. It seems now her largest challenge are the deer who aren’t as gracious as they should be considering the amount of her plants they consume. Since a 10ft high fence around the suburban corner lot isn’t really an option, I read up on suggested “deer-proof” plants.

Deer Proof Plants Don’t Exist

Yes, you read that right. No plant is deer proof. As suburbia creeps further and further into natural areas, habitat loss is an issue for a lot of wildlife. Deer are crowded out of their habitat, and pushed into home gardens. Something has to replace food they can no longer find, and boy your hostas look delicious. If its been a hard winter in our area and deer are hungry enough, they will eat any plant in the garden before starving.

Plants Deer Find Less Appealing

However, like your grandma’s marshmallow gelatin casserole, there are plants deer don’t find very appealing and would rather not eat unless necessary. According to an MSUE article Smart Gardening to Deter Deer, the animals “tend to be put off by fuzzy, coarse or “fern-like” foliage, and leaves or stems with strong odors or spines.” During the first season in the garden, these plants may suffer initial damage as they are taste-tested.

Deer Resistant Perennial Plants for Sun

The majority of Ms L’s garden is in full sun. She requested suggestions for perennial plants so she would not have to replant each year. Here are some plants I will be suggesting to add to her garden.

Rockcress (Aubrietia deltoidea) – spring
Lavender (Lavandula spp.) – summer
Yarrow ( Achillea spp. ) – summer
Lamb’s Ear ( Stachys byzantina ) – summer
Threadleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata) – summer
Native Spicebush ( Lindera benzoin ) – spring
Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) – summer
Rose campion (Lychnis coronaria) – summer

Deer Resistant Perennial Plants for Partial to Full Shade

Bleeding Heart ( Dicentra spectabilis ) – spring
Foam Flower (Tiarella cordifolia) – spring
Lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.) – spring
Barrenwort (Epimedium spp. ) – spring
Snakeroot ( Cimicifuga racemosa ) – autumn

Deer Resistant Annuals

Ms. L also has many full sun raised beds, some of which she would like to dedicate to edibles. Here are some veggies and herbs that have a better chance of being passed over by deer.

Hot Peppers ( Capsicum annuum )
Cucumber ( Cucumis sativus )
Nasturtium ( Tropaeolum majus )
Most root vegetables
Dill
Chives
Fennel
Sage
Thyme
Mint
Parsley
Garlic

Resources:
Smart Gardening to Deter Deer
Deer Resistant Vegetables and Herbs

New Garden Guests

February 17, 2018education, pest controljane

In the second year of growing common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), I not only learned more about the plant’s growth habit in a tended garden, but also about the variety of insects it draws. Like many gardeners in the past several years, I expanded my milkweed inventory to supply food and nursery space for the monarch butterfly. Like the swamp milkweed, the common milkweed attracted aphids, then ants, then lady bird beetles and sooty mold. However, this year a new resident arrived.

One day when studying the evolving drama of The Milkweed Diaries, I noticed a new bug. This one wore a pretty flashy palette of reddish-orange and black. Not that subtle. The mouthpiece was a proboscis, which is an indicator the bug feeds on sap. It also was just chilling toward the top of the plant, not participating in the balance of life being played out between the aphids, ants, and lady bugs on the leaves below. Naturally I grabbed a camera and snapped some photos of the unknown bug to ID it.

It didn’t take too long searching before I found it on The Internets. It is Oncopeltus fasciatus commonly know as the large milkweed bug. They can be found on milkweed plants in mid to late summer when seedpods are getting ready to form. If you take a closer look at this adult, there is a black band across its body. I used this to ID it as the Large Milkweed bug, instead of the similar looking Lesser Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii) which has a set of inward facing, orange brackets on its back.

Like the monarch butterfly, milkweed bugs ingest the milkweed plant and therefore accumulate in their bodies cardiac glycosides (cardenolides). These alkaloid toxins are dangerous if ingested by predators.

Unlike Lesser Milkweed Bugs, this guy sticks to the Apocynaceae (dogbane) family when looking for its next meal. Both adults and nymphs feed on milkweed pods and seeds.

Do They Harm Monarchs?

Most gardeners grow plants from the milkweed family with monarchs on the mind. Who wouldn’t love waiting on those lovely butterflies? So, as I was reading about the large milkweed bug, I wondered if it was a natural predator of monarchs.

From what I could find, the Large Milkweed Bug is a vegetarian. However, the Lesser Milkweed Bug will scavenge on insects as a adult, including Monarch larvae. I feel this is just another example of why it is so important to carefully research your garden guest before knocking them into that jar of soapy water.

Should They Stay or Should They Go?

Stay. Both large and lesser milkweed bugs do not oppose an immediate threat to milkweed. The feeding damage is minimal, and the bug’s life cycle and overall presence in the garden is short. They are one of its many pollinators. Booming populations on a plant may be an indicator of a plant that is otherwise stressed or lacking something it needs to grow.

References

Ohio State University Extension

Milkweed: Not Just for Monarchs

Michigan State University Extension

Missouri Botanical Garden

Hey Four Eyes

July 15, 2017education, pest controljane

After a garden fieldtrip to Lake Cliff Garden, we stopped into a neighboring town for lunch and some social time. On the top of a hill near the lakefront, I found this large stand of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). Of course I had to go over and see what little critters were enjoying the beautiful, summer day.

Stand of Milkweed

I was not disappointed! One of the insects immediately catching my attention was a colorful, red beetle. I was able to snap a pretty good photo to bring home and use to identify the milkweed resident.

Red Milkweed Beetle on leaf

Red Milkweed Beetle

The insect is Tetraopes tetrophthalmus or the Red Milkweed Beetle. Like many other insects who feed on milkweed, the beetle’s bright color warns predators it is toxic because it ingests the plant. Larvae burrow underground to feed on the roots and overwinter. Adults emerge to feed on leaves, buds, and flowers of the plant and can be spotted in our growing zone about midsummer.

What’s With the Eyes?

Something interesting I read and then found on my photo, was the position of the beetle’s eyes. Let’s zoom in for a closeup!

Closeup of Milkweed Beetle Head

The Red Milkweed Beetle’s compound eyes are bisected by its antennae. One set of eyes is located above the antennae, while the other is located below. In Latin, both the genus and species name translates to mean “four eyes.”

Purring Bugs?!

Another fascinating fact I stumbled upon while cyberstalking the Red Milkweed Bug is that they vocalize. These bugs squeak and purr! A gentleman by the name of Richard D. Alexander wrote a paper in 1957 titled Sound Production and Associated Behavior in Insects. When observed in the lab, the RMB vocalized when going about its day interacting with the milkweed plant and others of its species. It does so by rubbing together structures on the segments of the thorax. I will definitely be leaning in to take a listen if I’m fortunate enough to spot the Red Milkweed Beetle next season.

But Will They Harm Me or My Plants?

The short answer is “no.” A healthy stand of milkweed will not be harmed. If you’d rather not see the beetles, you can remove the milkweed plant from the garden. As with most creatures, if the beetle is not assaulted and manhandled, it will not bite.