desertgirl
Garden Ornament
The leaves look like something has munched on them, and now the flowers are starting to wilt. My camera is on the fritz, so I unfortunately cannot post pics. Any ideas?
Something is eating my sunflowers
- Thread starter desertgirl
- Start date
obsessed
Deeply Rooted
How about birds?
digitS'
Garden Master
I have a few "bug problems" with the sunflowers:
Aphids may or may not cover the underside of the leaves at just about anytime during the growing season. For sure, red spider mites will show up during the hottest, driest weeks of August. They are tiny critters and are generally on the underside of the leaves, also. Tiny or not, spider mites really deplete the strength of sunflowers. Both of these bugs encourage wilting (and worse).
Earwigs usually confine their damage to the petals as the flowers begin to open. They will punch holes or gnaw the petal off completely. Bud worms of some sort will roll up a petal to hid in and chew right down into the flower bud.
So, DesertGirl, that doesn't quite answer your question. Mostly, I guess I'm just thinking out loud and suggesting that by this time of the year, it could be a combination of pests causing problems. (I suppose birds might be chewing the leaves but don't know.
)
Steve, aka Useless
Aphids may or may not cover the underside of the leaves at just about anytime during the growing season. For sure, red spider mites will show up during the hottest, driest weeks of August. They are tiny critters and are generally on the underside of the leaves, also. Tiny or not, spider mites really deplete the strength of sunflowers. Both of these bugs encourage wilting (and worse).
Earwigs usually confine their damage to the petals as the flowers begin to open. They will punch holes or gnaw the petal off completely. Bud worms of some sort will roll up a petal to hid in and chew right down into the flower bud.
So, DesertGirl, that doesn't quite answer your question. Mostly, I guess I'm just thinking out loud and suggesting that by this time of the year, it could be a combination of pests causing problems. (I suppose birds might be chewing the leaves but don't know.
)Steve, aka Useless
Ridgerunner
Garden Master
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I know the birds are eating my sunflowers, but that is goldfinches and doves after the seeds. That's not your problem.
I don't remember where I found this or I'd give credit, but it was in my saved stuff. It's kind of general but maybe it will help. The things I can think of that would cause a leaf to wilt, a borer, sucking insect,or sawfly larva, would not chew on the leaves. I wonder if you have two things going on, maybe grasshoppers to chew the leaves and a borer to wilt the plant. Or whatever.
Good Luck!
Plant Inspection for Chewed Damage
If the entire leaf has been consumed, with only the middle vein remaining, look for caterpillars, canker worms, or webworms. Notches that appear to be cut from the leaf are a sign of adult black vine weevil, while circular holes might be caused from lead cutter bees. Smaller holes in a random pattern are the work of beetles, weevils, grasshoppers, or chafers).
On leaves that have veins showing and little else, a gardener should look for slugs, elm leaf beetle, beetle larvae, and thrips (a small sucking insect). Leafrollers (insects who make nests by rolling up in leaves) are the offenders of leaves that are rolled up or joined by silken threads.
An insect that feeds between the upper and lower surfaces of a leaf is the leaf miner. If a gardener holds the leaf up to a light, they will be able to detect these insects inside the damaged area of the leaf. Small moth or sawfly larva can burrow into the petiole (a thin stem which supports the leaf blade), causing the leaf to drop off in early summer. These are detected by splitting the petiole for inspection and identification of the specific larva that may exist.
Insects that girdle (continuous section cut all the way around a twig or small branch) are usually a vine weevil or twig girdling beetle. Borers that feed under the bark can be detected by holes in the branch, a decline in the plant overall, and even frass (debris or excrement produced by insects). Know culprits are the pine Zimmerman pine moth, beetle, and raspberry crown borer.
I don't remember where I found this or I'd give credit, but it was in my saved stuff. It's kind of general but maybe it will help. The things I can think of that would cause a leaf to wilt, a borer, sucking insect,or sawfly larva, would not chew on the leaves. I wonder if you have two things going on, maybe grasshoppers to chew the leaves and a borer to wilt the plant. Or whatever.
Good Luck!
Plant Inspection for Chewed Damage
If the entire leaf has been consumed, with only the middle vein remaining, look for caterpillars, canker worms, or webworms. Notches that appear to be cut from the leaf are a sign of adult black vine weevil, while circular holes might be caused from lead cutter bees. Smaller holes in a random pattern are the work of beetles, weevils, grasshoppers, or chafers).
On leaves that have veins showing and little else, a gardener should look for slugs, elm leaf beetle, beetle larvae, and thrips (a small sucking insect). Leafrollers (insects who make nests by rolling up in leaves) are the offenders of leaves that are rolled up or joined by silken threads.
An insect that feeds between the upper and lower surfaces of a leaf is the leaf miner. If a gardener holds the leaf up to a light, they will be able to detect these insects inside the damaged area of the leaf. Small moth or sawfly larva can burrow into the petiole (a thin stem which supports the leaf blade), causing the leaf to drop off in early summer. These are detected by splitting the petiole for inspection and identification of the specific larva that may exist.
Insects that girdle (continuous section cut all the way around a twig or small branch) are usually a vine weevil or twig girdling beetle. Borers that feed under the bark can be detected by holes in the branch, a decline in the plant overall, and even frass (debris or excrement produced by insects). Know culprits are the pine Zimmerman pine moth, beetle, and raspberry crown borer.
