Wild Things! (in the garden)
Backyard gardens provide a venue for flowers and herbs and veggies, but
consider all the wild things that are attracted to those tempting plants. If you include cabbage or cauliflower plants
with your veggies, you will attract the cabbage white butterflies which will
adorn your precious plants with hundreds of eggs. When the eggs hatch, tiny green hungry
caterpillars will begin to devour every leaf in sight unless you intervene with
an insecticide. (Can install row cover fabric to protect each plant
instead.) Cabbage white butterflies are
an unwelcome “wild thing” in the garden.
Cucumber beetles are tiny but destructive… another unwelcome “wild thing.” They are attracted to cucumber plants, but
also will enter zucchini blossoms; you might find several congregating within a
single zucchini flower. These beetles
spread mosaic disease causing the leaves to become deformed; it will produce
deformed, warty fruit. (Remove entire
affected plant; burn it or bury it—do not compost any plant showing signs of
mosaic disease.)
Earth worms cultivate soil underneath plants—a welcome “wild thing.” Jumping worms are an invasive that is destructive and can spread easily—an unwelcome “wild thing.” Jumping worms (a.k.a., Asian worms, crazy worms) were discovered in Wisconsin in 2013. They destroy soil structure and feed upon the same organic matter within garden soil that your plants need. (Learn more about jumping worms online so you can identify them in your garden; simply Google on jumping worms.)
Recently my granddaughter witnessed her very first hummingbird moth—she
was so excited and shared her picture with me.
Hummingbird moths (a.k.a., sphinx moth) are in the Order of
Lepidoptera, just as other moths and butterflies are. Sphinx are considered excellent pollinators
and feed on the nectar from plants like bee balm (Monarda). They are a welcome “wild thing” in my
Monarda patch each July. But beware—this
amazing pollinator creates a hornworm caterpillar that can decimate an entire
tomato plant in a day or two. (Not a welcome “wild thing” on tomato plants!)
Butterflies and birds are welcome “wild things” in most gardens… but many
gardeners who raise fruit crops do not consider visiting birds an asset. Birds may eat lots of insects each day, but
they can devour a fruit crop as well.
Some gardeners utilize netting placed over their berry bushes to deter
birds from stealing the fruit.
When you select plants for your backyard garden, consider you are
extending an invitation to a host of “wild things”… some you will welcome, some
you will NOT!
M. Lynn Schmid,
Certified Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture
