A customer has these eggs (?) on her Zinnias and Caryopteris. At the very least I'm trying to find out if it's a good bug or a bad bug. The black, flattened, disc-like objects are attached by a thread of silk and are attached directly to the leaf. They are random (not in rows) and only a few per leaf. Upon cutting one open I could not differentiate any other colors. Any thoughts?
These look a lot like the spores of artillery fungus (Sphaerobolus sp.). Often associated with wood chip mulch, these spores may be ejected for distances of several feet - see http://tinyurl.com/2ahtwk8 for images and detailed information.
That sure does look like it. But none of that information talks about a silky strand being attached to the spore mass...
True. That's why I said "looks like" rather than "appears to be"...
If I can find anything else, I'll get back to this thread.
Thanks! I actually almost sent you a direct message because I figured you'd be the only one to respond :)
