tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post8388675587269403537..comments2023-12-23T04:37:14.632-08:00Comments on Gaia Garden: The Milkweed Community Beyond MonarchsGaia Gardener:http://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-64442185216293324172016-04-21T15:28:52.814-07:002016-04-21T15:28:52.814-07:00Cam, I wonder why you're not getting predators...Cam, I wonder why you're not getting predators coming in to eat the aphids? An easy strategy to use, in the interim, is to wash the aphids off with a strong spray of water - they are not very mobile and generally can't climb back up on the plant. Of course, new ones will colonize, but the plant will have a breather in the meantime. Watch out for predators before you try to get rid of the aphids - one year I found a lacewing egg AFTER I had washed the aphids off, and I felt guilty for starving the poor emerging larva.Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-3836264181720623822016-04-21T10:46:22.916-07:002016-04-21T10:46:22.916-07:00I have a lot of milkweed in my butterfly garden (w...I have a lot of milkweed in my butterfly garden (we get lots of caterpillars in the spring and fall), and the aphid infestation gets so bad it stops the plants from flowering and bearing seeds. :( Cam @ArcadiaTrailshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14456539895609178835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-49286870819401348392016-03-20T19:07:30.211-07:002016-03-20T19:07:30.211-07:00So, you've done that before, too? I think thi...So, you've done that before, too? I think this may not have been my first time, either. Thank you for your words of comfort on my post about our dog.Corner Gardener Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10631500918579405664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-1287360802122200412016-03-15T07:41:21.674-07:002016-03-15T07:41:21.674-07:00Laura, you made my day this morning! Thank you! A...Laura, you made my day this morning! Thank you! Any chance you are going to take up blogging? It sounds like you and your husband make some interesting observations and discoveries, too. CynthiaGaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-86727431883013552072016-03-15T07:39:45.689-07:002016-03-15T07:39:45.689-07:00Sue, I thought I was the only one who did duplicat...Sue, I thought I was the only one who did duplicate posts! LOL! Isn't it cool about how predators keep so many plant eating bugs under control, when you let them?!<br /><br />I've got several things blooming and need to make a couple more posts, but finding the time gets dicey these days. Should be squeezing it in soon, though.Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-88792140733393842452016-03-15T06:48:46.709-07:002016-03-15T06:48:46.709-07:00I love your blog! I came across it when googling i...I love your blog! I came across it when googling info about 'possum pellets in my bird feeder. I live in South Carolina, the Piedmont region, and my husband is a biology major-master gardener-landscaper-nurseryman. I am an amateur naturalist of the very curious sort! I thoroughly enjoyed learning about your milkweed Eco-system, as I do the same sort of observations; "What exactly is that insect? What is it doing?" I would take photos with my "real" camera, but it is old, and the lens motor is broken, so I do what I can with my LG phone these days. Keep blogging!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10986048308733963717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-66874575509408831402016-03-13T20:14:07.780-07:002016-03-13T20:14:07.780-07:00LOL, I forgot that I had already read this. I was...LOL, I forgot that I had already read this. I was about to say something similar to what I already did. <br /><br />I hope you discover new plants that are native to your new area that you and the critters enjoy.Corner Gardener Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10631500918579405664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-14088002199235715432016-03-01T08:07:03.584-08:002016-03-01T08:07:03.584-08:00Absolutely, Sue! I love watching aphids to see wha...Absolutely, Sue! I love watching aphids to see what's munching on them. I'd feel better if these were the specific milkweed aphids, but at least there seems to be a phalanx of predators willing to eat the oleander aphids, too.Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-82668723797168119882016-02-29T20:20:04.540-08:002016-02-29T20:20:04.540-08:00Cool! I remember when I used to get upset when I ...Cool! I remember when I used to get upset when I saw aphids on a plant. I would squirt them with a hose or try squishing them. I thought they were going to kill my plants. Now, when I see them, I expect there will be predators making use of them.Corner Gardener Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10631500918579405664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-42627488501285340712016-02-29T20:08:10.526-08:002016-02-29T20:08:10.526-08:00Thanks, GonSS. I suspect it's because I came ...Thanks, GonSS. I suspect it's because I came to gardening from biology and birding. The animals were actually my first love.Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-45368024395379285872016-02-29T19:07:23.325-08:002016-02-29T19:07:23.325-08:00You are so aware of all the life forms in your gar...You are so aware of all the life forms in your garden. That was a very interesting post. So much going on if we just look. Glad you have the milkweed plants.Gardener on Sherlock Streethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11367115529793643362noreply@blogger.com