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Articles listed under “problem solver”

Chicory — November 17, 2009

The line between wildflower and weed can be narrow. With chicory, what one person considers a lovely blue flower, a neighbor might consider a weed.

Rose slug sawfly — November 10, 2009

Smooth, translucent pale-green larvae eat the leaves of roses in May and June.

Fuller’s teasel — November 3, 2009

Originally introduced from Europe for use as a dried flower, Fuller’s teasel has naturalized in much of North America.

Wild parsnip — October 27, 2009

This invasive biennial is related to the edible parsnips you may grow in your vegetable garden.

Pillbugs and sowbugs — October 20, 2009

Here are two bugs that look almost identical — pillbugs and sowbugs.

Rust — October 13, 2009

You’ll spot powdery rust, orange or brown spots, like these on a snapdragon, on either side of the leaf.

Prostrate spurge — October 6, 2009

The stems and undersides of the leaves of 2-in.-tall prostrate spurge have a red tint.

Flea beetle — September 29, 2009

Young leaves of vegetables and flowers riddled with “shot” holes are a sign that flea beetles may be attacking your garden.

Common mallow — September 22, 2009

Common mallow is a relative of hollyhocks that produces pink, pale blue or white summer flowers.

Squash vine borer — September 15, 2009

There’s nothing worse than having your squash die on the vine because of squash vine borers.

Crown rot — September 8, 2009

Crown rot affects hosta, bleeding heart, phlox, daylily and many other perennials.

Emerald ash borer — September 1, 2009

If you have an ash tree (Fraxinus spp.), keep an eye out for emerald ash borer.

American elder — August 25, 2009

A quick way to identify American elder is to crush a stem or a few leaves and you’ll get a disagreeable odor.

Cedar-apple rust — August 18, 2009

In fall, you’ll spot hard brown galls on twigs of Eastern red cedar. In spring the galls swell, turn orange.

Musk thistle — August 11, 2009

All the surfaces of the leaves and stems of musk thistle are covered with sharp prickles.

Chameleon plant — August 4, 2009

The leaves of chameleon plant are green with margins of red, bronze or yellow and have a pungent odor when they’re crushed.

Three-lined potato beetle — July 28, 2009

True to their name, these beetles have yellow bodies with three black stripes running down the length of them.

Red clover — July 21, 2009

Red clover has fuzzy red-pink flowers and a v-shaped marking on each leaf.

Tobacco budworm — July 14, 2009

Tobacco budworm larvae are generally yellow to yellow-green with a brown head, but body color can sometimes be pink, red or maroon, as well.

Hosta virus X — July 7, 2009

Unusual leaves, like the one in the photo, could be symptoms of hosta virus X (HVX).

Eastern tent caterpillar — June 30, 2009

There are several kinds of caterpillars that spin webs in trees, but you’ll see Eastern tent caterpillars and their webs in late spring or early summer.

Columbine sawfly — June 23, 2009

These larvae of a non-stinging wasp have green heads and bodies without stripes or spots.

Japanese knotweed — June 16, 2009

This extremely invasive weed has simple medium-green leaves and spike-shaped pale-green to white flowers in summer.

Slugs — June 9, 2009

These creatures can be ¼ to 6 or 7 in. long, and may be gray, orange, yellow, brown or black, with stripes or other markings. 

Blackspot on roses — June 2, 2009

In spring small black spots appear on the leaves, and occasionally the stems, of roses.

Buffalo bur — May 26, 2009

Buffalo bur grows up to 2 ft. tall and is armed with long yellow spines on its deeply lobed light green leaves and along sturdy stems.

Japanese beetle — May 19, 2009

If these pests weren’t so destructive, they’d be pretty. Shiny bronze-green adults are about 3/8 in. long. Larvae are 1-1/4-in.-long, C-shaped white grubs.

Powdery mildew — May 12, 2009

The white granular patches look like dust on the stems, the tops and bottoms of leaves and occasionally on flowers and fruit.

Poison oak — May 5, 2009

As with their close relative, poison ivy, “Leaves of three, let it be” is good advice.

Aphids — April 28, 2009

Orange, green, yellow, red, brown, black or covered with a waxy white or gray coating — there are all kinds of aphids out there.