But, ProfessorRoush digresses. The Japanese Beetles came back right to central Kansas right on time in late June this year and I've been strolling around and smashing a few every evening for several weeks. I even went so far as to spray insecticide on a few of their favorite roses while the roses were between bloom cycles just to see if it would quell their numbers, but as these roses, 'Blanc Double de Coubert' and 'Fru Dagmar Hastrup' among others, came back into bloom, they had just as many beetles lounging around in their blossoms as before. So I've hand-picked and hand-picked, gleefully smashing a few beetles each night under my feet and feeling like Alexander the Great rolling over Asia. Right up until I came across the disgusting spectacle in the photo above. The rose is pink and delicate 'Foxi Pavement'. Look closely and you'll see beetles fornicating on top of beetles that are fornicating. Disgusting.
Hemerocallis 'Wisteria' |
Please try not to let the scene you just witnessed cause any nightmares to disturb your slumber. Or at least join ProfessorRoush in his efforts to avoid crawling into a corner and catatonically sucking his thumb to avoid the trauma of memory. Here, maybe a picture of beautiful 'Wisteria' taken on the same evening will help. Japanese Beetles don't seem to bother daylilies. Or, perhaps you can take comfort from this morning's sky, a panorama I took at 6:00 a.m. of the sky to the west and north of my front yard. All things bright and beautiful, indeed.
Speaking of pests. You forgot about Asian dayflower, we need an insect to eliminate it. It has completely tried to take over my garden..awful, awful, they should call it Cainweed.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely agreed. Can't pull it, Roundup won't kill it, 2-4-D won't kill it.
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