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What is eating these plants

MP2MP2 Posts: 25
in Problem solving

Hello - does anyone know what might be eating my rudbeckias, bought because they were supposed to be pest resistant! The image shows a leaf with a hole and something that looks like a worm cast.

I also noticed the 'worm casts' on a newly planted thyme - I have an older thyme that is not affected. The thyme also has slug trails on it and I spotted an actual slug as well as the small insect in the other image.

Very depressing as I am stuck now on what to plant that isn't going to end up as insect food!imageimage

Posts

  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,905

    The little creature is a woodlouse. The hole in the leaf looks very much like the work of a slug or snail. Go out with a torcdh when it is dark and see if you can spot the culprit. Don't stress about trying to find a pest free plant. Virtually every plant has its own pest. Encourage birds into your garden and they will eat lots of the pests.

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • MP2MP2 Posts: 25

    Thanks Ladybird - I thought it was much thinner than a normal woodlouse and I didn't realise they crawled over plants like that. 

    Do you recognise the worm cast things - might it be from a caterpillar?

    We have a lot of birds but also a lot of pests! I don't really use insecticides and hence the failed attempts at plants that slugs don't like - apparently they do!

  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,905

    The worm cast thing is either caterpillar/slug/snail poo.I saw this tip on a tv programme about making a pest killer/deterrent in a hand garden sprayer (about 1L size).Fill with water and add the peel from an orange. Leave it to soak for a day or two and then go out and spray. A natural spray that won't harm birds or hedgehogs. I haven't used this myself but its worth a try and it avoids horrible chemicals so it should be safe for food crops too.

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • StevedaylillyStevedaylilly Posts: 1,102

    MP2 

    Hi  

    I feel for you my friend.

    Slugs have eaten my perennial lobelia, phlox, rudbeckia, hosta (I expect this). I think there has been more slugs and snails this year than any other year I can remember. Obviously, it the wet/warm weather that we are recently getting that is prolonging these attacks. Normally, by mid June, apart from hostas, I would not expect any of the perennial plants I have mentioned to be subject to slug attack 

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