callmemadam | Entries tagged with lily beetles

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I’m trying to choose each week something which wasn’t out the week before. Tricky, because so many spring flowers last for weeks on end. I’ve picked Fritillaria meleagris, as here. The link takes you back to older posts on the subject (and better photos). There’s no sign yet of the Dicentra which you can see in one of those posts. I do hope I haven’t lost it.
Fritillaries look wonderful in meadows as here at Cricklade in Wiltshire. Sadly, such sights are rare.

In my garden, the fritillaries are growing on the bank under the hedge. Last year, to my horror, I saw that they were being attacked by the dreaded lily beetles and went into battle armed with a yogurt pot and my finger nails (work it out). They look OK so far this year but I’m keeping an eye on them. And I’m never growing lilies again, which is a shame.

Today I bagged my first lily beetles of the season. These deceptively beautiful little so-and-sos have already destroyed every fritillary in the garden so each summer now I keep a strict watch on the lilies. I grow all my lilies in pots, which makes the job a lot easier. The bugs come out when the sun is shining and they are always under the leaf. If you disturb them they drop instantly and burrow into the compost in a trice. So you arm yourself with a little pot and having detected them, put the pot under the leaf and knock them into it. Then squash: easier said than done. If you don't do this, not only will every leaf be in ribbons but the remains will be covered in the disgusting larvae, which live in excrement. I got about half a dozen today but some escaped. Not for long! I will return.

Current Mood: murderous
Current Music: The Dambusters