What’s Eating the Turk’s Cap?

Ma! This is major herbivory and these leaves look better than most. In other words, most of the leaves look worse. Crumby has looked and looked for the herbivores, even at night with a flashlight. But all Crumby has found are a few loopers or semi-loopers. Too few loopers or semi-loopers for this amount of herbivory.



OK. Some more facts of life. The plants in the deeper shade areas are worse afflicted than those that get more time with Ogma Sunface. So today Crumby dusted off some afflicted leaves and checked those under the microscope. All Crumby found was these eggs





and this 1mm diameter spider who was caught up in a bunch of eggs and could not shake loose. Don’t know whose eggs these are or what the spider may have to do with them.

The only other facts are, there appear to be sand grain sized crystals on the chewed up leaves and /or some white floccose material on the rims of some chewed out leaf holes. Crumby does not feel like the latter is fungus.

Crumby is fixing to figure all this out if the WG is willing. It’s hard enough to take pictures without having all the dang leaves chewed up in the picture, presenting an unsightly mess.

Oh! A quick perusal of the internet would lead one to believe that the Turk’s cap is almost pest free. Well. It obviously aint!