Hi everyone!
I got 5 Hibiscus last year for my flutterbye and hummer garden, and somethings is going to town eating the leaves. I have tons of other flowers, which seem ok. I looked all over each of the plants, and don't see a culprit. There is no mold or brown spots or yellowing. And I can't spray, 'cause its a flutterbye and hummer garden.
Any ideas?
~~Maggie
Something's munching my Hibiscus
Grasshoppers...they are eating some of everything in my yard.
Gulf Fritillaries eat hibiscus as a larval food. The caterpillars are sort of an orangey-brown with black spikes sticking out the top. The plant should come right back after larva season.
Really? I've never heard that, just know that they use passionvines.
Yep. Hibiscus, hydrangea and passionvines.
Hydrangea, too? Wow, all the more reason to grow them!
I have IO moths on my hibiscus from late spring through fall. They don't devour the plant though. They ususally make a few U shaped bites from leaves. They can be seen on the underside of the leaves and occasionally on branches. Be careful if you see the cat in this picture. It's spines are poisonous and will give you a sting you won't soon forget.
The photo is by Stephen Cresswell and it's posted on BugGuide.net
Art
Huh. Its just that I don't SEE anything. Its like they're invisible or they eat at night. If I get time tomorrow, I'll take a picture. They're getting buds, so it doesn't seem to be killing them, but they are just FULL of holes.
~~Maggie
Oh, now I really want a hibiscus! I want IO Moths!!
On wanting a hibiscus, my experience is the IO seems to prefer the large yellow single hibiscus to all the other varieties in my yard. I have about eight different singles bloom varieties in all different colors, including a few hybred's.
There were so many IO cats on the yellow, which was in the pool area, I had to move it to a different location so the grandchildren wouldn't get stung when they brushed against the yellow hibiscus by accident.
I moved the plant last fall. With the double shock of trimming it way back and then moving it, it has taken a while to begin to grow and therefore bloom. But now that it has good new growth, it has IO cats. I will get a picture here as soon as I can.
In fairness to the other colors, some of the other color hibiscus are not near the area where buttrflies/moths frequent. This could be why they don't get IO cat action. The other colors of hibiscus which are in the area of butterflies/moths do get IO cats, but not nearly as many as the yellow hibiscus.
Art