Linda - is it possibly gophers? if you pull the plant up, are there roots? Amaranthus is pretty tough, I thought...and would hold up. Rudbeckia does like the water, so I wouldn't think that would be the case.

Let us know what you find out.
Wendy

Dear Wendy,

Normally I would say it could be a gopher, but all my beds are lined with aviary wire because we have so many gophers and on some of the amaranth only one branch is wilting usually the gopher eats the whole root and the plant falls over. These plants still have their roots.

I am wondering if there is something eating or sucking at the base of the stem - I noticed there are lots of ants and rollie pollie (pill) bugs at the base of the plant - I thought pill bugs didn't eat live plants but maybe I am wrong - I don't seee any aphids that the ants would be farming - I may need to put a cardboard collar around the plants to keep whatever is eating them away - with all this hot weather they are probably staying cool under my plants.

Later today, I also noticed another variety of rudbeckia in another bed has two wilted stems on the outside of the plant - but the rest of the plant is fine. I am going to have to lay down on the ground and really look under the plants perhaps with a magnifying glass to see what is happening.

Thanks, I will keep you posted.

Linda