Bea, it wrecks the look, that's for sure. It's like having a run in your hose or spilled coffee on your shirt.

Thanks for the help. What you say makes sense. I have not seen a single cat on any of the plants and I did a good inspection. I had sod webworms in the lawn - and they go into adjacent beds, too - and I have treated the lawn for them. I wonder if the damage is from those caterpillars?

I also put down slug bait. I need to find out how often to reapply... I'm never sure how to best work that application between interference from hand-watering and rain. Doesn't the surface of the soil have to be dry for slug bait? I'm off to do a little research.

I'm hoping for the plants to rebound.

Carol

Front of package of Eliminator Snail & Slug Bait II says "Not Affected by Rain".

Instructions on the back say "Reapply bait every two weeks - more often ... in areas heavily watered. ... For best results, be sure area to be baited is damp. In very dry weather, water well before baiting." (bolded by me)

Alrighty, then!

Carol

Looks a lot like grasshoppers to me, unless there are simply hordes of snails or slugs, & if that's the case, you should be able to spot their telltale slime trails and at least 1 sleeping snail stuck on a leaf or similar.

But using the iron phosphate type of slug & snail bait won't hurt anything, it breaks down into fertilizer anyway.

Carol B I didn't think of that. It does look like grasshoppers/lubbers.

Carol I know you keep a sharp eye for grasshopers and lybbers this time of year. Have you seen any near your plant?

I have not seen a single grasshopper or lubber in my yard... and I have yet to actually catch anything in the act. Like I said earlier, I put down slug bait. I also sprayed with Sevin (which is no longer carbaryl, by the way!). I felt it was ok to use Sevin on these plants because they are not in bloom and do not attract bees. I still wonder if it isn't the tropical sod webworm caterpillars which are mostly active at night. I don't know. If it is, the Sevin should take care of those, too. I know Bt and/or Spinosad would do the trick as well, but I hate to keep buying more and more bottles of "stuff" when I use them so seldom.

The one thing I had to laugh, Bea, was that, well, at least I know this isn't deer!

Thanks for all the help, everyone!

Carol

Hello from New Zealand. I have had the same problem. My bloodleaf leaves are exactly the same. We do have slugs and snails. I have already put around one lot of slug and snail killer, will have to do another lot. It is almost eaten back to the stem. I am wondering if it is mice? (the opposite to cats :)) In the past i have found that mice are also eating my slug and snail pellets.

Over the years, I have never lost the bloodleaf. It gets chewed up a bit by the slugs, freezes back some in winter, but always comes back. I have rooted it and put it beds all over the yard - all from the first little plant I purchased at Lowes in probably 2014 or 2015.