Garden party question.

12 years ago

Aha! I got you to look. Good!

I live in central Illinois. Last summer I noticed a strange thing. There were no Japanese Beetles! I thought that it was just a passing thing, maybe a very localized non-event.

This past winter was brutally cold and longer than usual. Now it is Japaneses Beetle season again (has been for the past 5 weeks) and still no sign of those pests. Maybe I am done with those things. If there were no grubs that made it to maturity in the past two years, and none flew in from far away...it could be that my early morning cursing as I pick them off the plants might be at an end.

What have you seen - or not seen?

Jim

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Comments (6)

lilosophie
12 years ago
Dragonflies - there used to be all sorts of them and lots of them around our pond, and this season only a few.
More star-thistle because of the drought, also a bumper-crop of poison oak.
Very few quail and the wild turkeys have gone elsewhere
There are more subtle changes, different weeds.
No spotted cucumber beetles (I smile)
anneliese_32
12 years ago
No Japanese Beetles also, ditto no Dragonflies, here and there a butterfly. Have not seen a Lunamoth in two years, few other moth. Missing are Ladybugs and contrary to Oregon, I saw 2 Mayflies. Most of the rains in the last 6 weeks have bypassed locally.
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west_gardener
12 years ago
We don't have many bugs here, but we do have some fat and happy Salamanders living in the garden.
jim_1 (Zone 5B)
Original Author
12 years ago
I have many dragonflies. They are so neat to watch. I cannot figure out where they fit into the scheme of things.

One monarch butterfly, which is one more than last year. My milkweed are there and waiting. Also, the dill are ready for other butterflies. Could it be our rotten winter? Or, is it the new way of nature?

I have many goldfinches, and I have seen a couple of hummingbirds, but not at the feeder.

And just today, I found this. It took me a bit to figure out what the heck was going on. We have a retention pond behind our house and the 13 inches of rain in June and July have kept it full. Never before have I seen this. Ultimately, I have decided that it is the result of a terrestrial crayfish! Never knew such an animal existed (particularly in central Illions!).
sweet_betsy No AL Z7
12 years ago
I have spotted no Japanese beetles in my garden this year. I am almost afraid to say that for fear they will come. However, on a day trip into Tennessee last month--perhaps 75 miles away--they were in abundance. I was happy to see 3 black swallowtails at the same time yesterday and hummingbirds are visiting my feeders regularly. Also working, both a blue bird pair and a house (or purple) finch couple raising families here. I love summer! There is something new to see every day.
pkramer60
12 years ago
Here in Chicago, I have seen 2 JB's and I squished both. More flutterbys than in past years and I am full of honey bees too. And we have crows again!