Bugs and Blights is intended to make identifying plant problems and insect easier. For those interested in insects, this is a portal to entomological (insect) resources in Washington.
Latest Posts
European Pine Sawfly
European Pine Sawfly is a relatively new pes in the PNW. Check your mugo pines (as well as others and look for caterpillar-like insects clustered on the needles of last season’s growth (old needles not the new candles).
June 12 – Building a Pollinator Garden
This Zoom class, sponsored by the King County Master Gardener Demonstration Garden in Bellevue, will be March 20th, 9:30-10:30am.
If you want to increase your gardening knowledge and skills, the Bellevue Demonstration Garden (BDG) Workshop series can help you. A broad range of topics which are based on scientific information emphasizing plants and methods that work in the Pacific Northwest will be discussed. These workshops are appropriate for both beginning and experienced gardeners. Current science and techniques are emphasized. Participants can expect to learn about new methods and plants as well as the tried and true. Topics will vary from vegetable to ornamental cultivation and may discuss blending both in your garden beds.
The June 12, 2021, workshop will be presented by Sharon Collman who will speak about Building a Pollinator Garden: from Lawn to Blooming Exuberance. The workshop will document the transition from unhealthy lawn and sheared conifers to a garden of perennials, flowering trees and lots of buzzing and water quality benefits. Sharon Collman has been a WSU educator in horticulture and IPM since 1974. She was a founding member of the WSU Pilot Master Gardener program which has been adopted in most states, Canadian provinces, and several countries abroad. Collman has authored more than 75 publications including fact sheets, magazine articles and book chapters and received many awards for her programs. She is most passionate about educating people about insects and their role in our lives, and she photographs insects for her enjoyment.
Instructions for joining the Zoom classes will be sent to registrants at 7:30AM the day of the class. Classes will be held on Saturdays. Access to Zoom will be open at 9:00AM the day of the class. You must register for this class to receive the Zoom instructions. A minimum donation of $5 is suggested for this class.
Details and links to each workshop’s registration are available on the BDG Workshops web page at https://www.mgfkc.org/education/bdg-workshops.
March 20th – Top Ten Insects and their Natural Enemies
This Zoom class, sponsored by the King County Master Gardener Demonstration Garden in Bellevue, will be March 20th, 9:30-10:30am.
The March 20 workshop will be presented by Sharon Collman who will speak about Top 10 Garden Pests and Their Natural Enemies. Sharon was given a butterfly net as a young child and has been studying insects ever since. She is extremely knowledgeable about them. When she was able to come to BDG in person, she would take groups outside after the lecture to view various bugs in situ. She can’t do that today, but she has collected wonderful pictures to help us understand how to identify them. Our gardens are alive with birds and wild bird food, pollinators and, yes, pests, but also have enemies to keep their numbers low. Knowing more about who inhabits your yard and their enemies can help you better manage your garden in a sustainable way.
– Instructions for joining the Zoom classes will be sent to registrants at 7:30AM the day of the class.
– Classes will be held on Saturdays.
– Access to Zoom will be open at 9:00AM the day of the class.
– You must register for this class to receive the Zoom instructions.
– A minimum donation of $5 is suggested for this class.
Rats!!@##!
When I stepped into the garden, I was expecting to find a nice big zucchini for a zucchini steak but alas, I only found part of a zucchini, bites out of two others, and half zucchini for the forth. I suspected snails as it seems have many more snails than slugs. But this morning, the whole and lovely ripening tomatoes that I had picked and left outside, had been partially eaten, and I’m now suspecting rats. The tomatoes were on a chair, which slugs could climb in one night but the rat is a strong contender for blame. A discerning rat it seems, since it picked the ripest tomato to eat in the bowl to eat!! Update: After picking the tomatoes, the next day I turned it over and there was the culprit; Slug. Not appetizing.
Bugs and Blights – the Website
The purpose of this website is to:
1. provide resources and webinars on diagnosing plant problems and on the critters (we call them pests) that munch on plants and also natural enemies that crunch on and burrow into, plant pests. Information will include photos to aid in the recognition of insects, plant diseases, vertebrates and cultural environmental problems in Washington state.
2. It will also be a portal to the entomological resources in Washington (collections, displays, events, books, useful websites and archived webinars relating to insects and plant problem diagnosis.
3. Still working on it……