Um .... do I need more coffee?

Or could it really be a bud? I think ya'll may need your magnifying glass for this, though. This would be Whiskers who's only 19" tall.

Here's another picture..

I am no expert, and I would never intentionally burst anyone's bubble, but....that looks like a leaf to me. I hope I am wrong!

Erick

Welllllllllllllllllllllllllll hard to tell I agree Erick! But if that is a Y there I think it is a baby bud.

But I haven't had my cup of tea yet. LOL

Thanks for the opinions, Erick & Kell. I guess I'll just have to wait a few more days before I can really tell. I think maybe since I look so hard to find a "Y," my eyes decided to humor me this morning. :)

Let us know! What fun for you if you do have a bud on such a little plant.

That is definitely without question a bud!!! Doin the Happy Dance with Ya!

X

I'm a bit cautious about doing the Happy Dance now, because it is so terribly hot and humid (90's with 45% humidity). It's like survival of the fittest with my buds on Isobella right now as it is. At least, I'm guessing that's what's happening -- too hot, so baby buds die and larger buds get larger.

Thanks, Kell and X, for the arrow and the x marking the bud. I've been looking for sooooo long, and everything I see, and think it's time for the cheering squad, turns out to be a leaf.

Needless to say, I'm off to check again!
Louise

both my Maya and Golden Lady are on the verge of blooms

Oh Boy oh Boy a little bud!!
You said it's Whiskers and if so you will find it tolerates the heat very well. My Whiskers tolerated the Heat so good that I plan to have nothing but Whiskers in the garden next year!!! LOL

Really Kin?? Or are you joshing us??

I got rid of Whiskers years ago because it was such a mite magnet. Funny how different brugs like different people.

Just joshing Kell....

So, Kin, if you're only going to have Whiskers next year, does that mean I can have all your others, like the Double White? :) LOL Just kidding.

I was getting excited about Whisker's little bud (it has definitely "Y'ed") until you and Kell were saying how much a mite magnet it is. Between the Japanese Beetles destroying my roses, the Walnut Caterpillar munching on my Walnut tree, the moles destroying my lawn that I do try to keep looking nice because my neighbor is the law perfectionist on the street, and the birds depositing poison ivy everywhere, I don't think I can take too many more "garden foes" right now. Spider mites I can deal with, but the broad mites ya'll talk about are just a lot. :( Guess I should be grateful the coyotes and deer are fenced out of my yard and can only drool at my plants on the other side of the fence 8' high fence.

Is Whiskers really a mite magnet for you Kin? I've heard that from some others and some say no. Most of the mite magnets I've grown personally have had alot of aurea blood in them. Whiskers has a dab of aurea in her so it really wouldn't surprise me if she was tad bit persnickety that way.
California is known the be one of the worst states for mite infestations on all kinds of plants. Is Oregon the same?

LOL~Felicia... No you can't have them !!
Felicia, I don't have that problem with my Whiskers. Mites that is. You may have just mixed me up with someone else. No problem....

Vicki, No I have had no problems so far this year with Whiskers...Knock on wood!! No mites and it really stood up well with the heat. We don't have the humidity here during the summer months so I can't speak of any results on that.
I speak highly of Whiskers so far for me. As for me I usually have some problems with mites in August. Now saying all this I will have mites by the END of the WEEK!!!! LOL

Kin,
It was worth a shot!! LOL

I can attest for little Whiskers' performance in the heat and humidity. It has been around 92 degrees with humidity around 45% since Saturday morning. Whiskers only wilted a little bit yesterday, and that's because I did not water it yesterday morning (slept too late), and I have her/him in full sun for most of the day. Meanwhile, Isobella only gets sun from about 10:30 - 2:00 and just cannot take the heat as well.

Here's an updated picture since my post on Saturday.

Looking Good
Now the restless nights and waiting begins! LOL
I have two Whiskers planted in the ground. One gets about two more hrs. of direct sun than the other. The one that gets more sun continues to bloom on and on....While the other has only put out a few blooms at a time. So for me it seems to perform it's best with more sun.
All I can say about Humidity is I'm glad we don't deal with it here.

This link might (mite lol!) be of interest to some. I found this link in my old files. It is an article about how insects are attracted to unhealthy plants.
http://www.biostimulants.com/article.aspx?id=7

It's possible that no brug is insect prone. The ones that have the insect problems probably just aren't healthy and that causes the insects such as mites, whiteflies and aphids to seek them out. I remember several years ago I was told not every brug has the same nutritional requirements. And we all know that many have different environmental requirements in order to thrive.

Thanks for the link, Vicki!
That's very interesting and makes a lot of sense! It's all part of the food chain.
I do have a few leaves on Isobella that have been munched on, but for the most part the bugs seem to leave it alone, so, it must be a healthy plant, knock on wood!

Munching by moth cats and grasshoppers is normal and natural. Brugs are several of the moth cats natural food source. Seems like grasshoppers will eat anything green that sits still lol!