I briefly contemplated taking the day off from posting, but then, as Don and I were sitting on the porch talking, we saw this:
Our first monarch! Actually, Don saw it first. Yesterday, I saw an eastern swallowtail, so I initially thought it had come back. But it was a monarch – feeding on the milkweed.
He was moving quickly, so I did the best I could with my iPhone.
We were so excited!
I spent at least three hours shooting water at whiteflies yesterday, after discovering they were everywhere in my garden – even in some of the potted plants – which is incredibly disheartening. I found an insecticidal soap – made by Safer – that is used in organic gardens (I happened to have it in my cupboard) and is meant for aphids and whiteflies. I’m planning to use it on some of the problem areas, but not everywhere. One of my fears with this kind of thing is that I’ll also kill beneficial insects and I hate doing that. I’ll definitely not use it on the milkweed, but will continue to spray water on the infestations, because I don’t want to kill the beginnings of a monarch. I’m going to do some more research in the meantime. I don’t want to see all my plants destroyed by these dang whiteflies. So I have to figure out how to eliminate them without huring other bugs and/or my plants.
Any thoughts?
Meanwhile, while I was standing near the side of the porch, I saw this:
And this:
The garden beds on the side of the house are exactly what I want: very densely planted, full of cottage garden flowers. Now, if I could get the other beds to do the same thing, I’d be a happy camper.
I think this bed does well because it’s partially shaded. So was the big garden bed until we lost that huge limb on the maple.
Anyway. The water battle with the whiteflies will continue today. It’s tedious. But I’m like a mom protecting her children. Don’t mess with my babies!
Happy Friday.
sorry; no ideas about getting rid of white flies while protecting plants and other insects. good luck!
your photos are like your gardens … beautiful. the colors, details and depth of field shown in your photos are just incredible; great work! thanks for sharing.
it’s going to be 90+ here for the next week or so and i have to work tomorrow – at a cookout (ugh). hope you all have a good weekend!
kathy in iowa
Yes, same here. 90 degrees, give or take a degree, for the next week. Thanks, Kathy!
Have to admit I had to google “whiteflies.” Never have seen them before. Hope you’re able to rid your garden of them. Have been offline most of the week. Needed a break from the dark news. And try to get out of the house most of the day while the pounding demolition is going on in the house. Looking forward to going back this weekend and reading the posts I missed.
This year I stopped Dean from pulling all the milkweed and am cultivating a section of the front flowerbed. And I have seen sooooo many Monarchs! Sometimes three/four at a time. The milkweed is just starting to bloom and I’m looking forward to seeing what will happen next.
Take care and have a great (cooler) weekend.
We’ve only seen one Monarch so far, but I’m looking forward to seeing more!
I hate when pests come after our gardens. I saw my first monarch yesterday too. Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera with me, xo Laura
And these whiteflies are the worst! Thanks, Laura.
Your cottage garden look is so beautiful Claudia! I love the natural feeling of it!
I can appreciate your dilemma with the white flies but have no solution to offer.
I recently brought home a sickly looking plant thinking to save it,didn’t separate it and now have little gnats i think flying around…i wish i could just get them to fly away rather than having to be hard on them and maybe the soil organisms,plants etc..
Wishing you well with your valiant efforts!
Thank you, Grace. It’s so upsetting!
I spent some time reading up on whiteflies, since I didn’t know anything about them. I’ve never had them…hope I never do either. Hummingbirds supposedly eat them, however. Too bad you don’t have them, or do you? Good luck in your pursuit of a remedy.
Sure wish I could grow milkweed. I scattered some seeds last fall…nothing materialized. Then I found out I should’ve refrigerated them first? So I planted them again this spring…marked them, and not one sprouted. I guess I’ll just leave them for my neighbors to grow. Or, maybe a bird will scatter a seed or two. Great pic of the monarch! Enjoy your day! ;)
We have one or two that fly around here, but the infestation is so bad that I think we’d need a lot more hummingbirds than that. Thanks, Donnamae.
I have never heard of people having whiteflies here, and had never seen them. I’m sure they are around, and I will be happy if they stay away!! I hope you win the battle!
It is a lovely day here. It is warm, but the predicted humidity hasn’t moved in just yet. It is supposed to be with us for the next 7-10 days, so we will enjoy each minute before its arrival. Last week we had a hearty dose of it and we were happy for it to leave, if even just for a few days.
I have tried to grow milkweed and have never had it come up. I have ordered seeds, and had some given to me, and we even brought a few pods home from the dog park and none of it has ever worked for me. Happily, I still do have Monarchs, so hopefully someone in our neighborhood has had success. They seem to really love all of my zinnias.
Have a wonderful weekend, and keep cool!
It was very humid here today. This, after the local weather guy said today would be less humid!
Well, I have to say that I haven’t planted any of this milkweed. It just grows wild on this property. Thanks, Chris.
Hi Claudia,
I’ve copied the following from Orange County’s Cornell Cooperative Extension website, maybe they can help (a great gardener’s resource in any case).
Contact our Garden Helpline Service to ask any gardening questions you may have. The Helpline is answered “live” by Master Gardeners April – November, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. At other times, please leave a message.
Call 845-343-0664 or e-mail your questions to mghelpline@cornell.edu
I’ll try them on Monday, Anne. Thanks so much.
Love your butterfly.
I once had white fly infestation after buying a lot of Gerber daisies at a local nursery. Tried the Safer soap at that time and ended up dumping the plants. I couldn’t afford to keep up with the flies.
Having just googled about them (I’m feeling as determined as you to get rid of them without complete destruction of your glorious garden) :
“One way to keep whiteflies away is companion planting. Basically, you will plant zinnia or marigolds nearby and it will force them away from your yard.
If you add zinnias to your garden, they will attract a whiteflies’ natural enemy, such as hummingbirds, wasps and flies. These predators will eat them, making it an easy solution. You can also use bee balm, hummingbird bush, and pineapple sage to ward off whiteflies. This works because they give off a minty smell that covers up the scent of the plants these pests like – including marijuana.
You can also try misting your plants with a garlic oil solution, just like what people use on aphids. There’s also an oil spray made from two tablespoons of vegetable oil and one gallon of water. If you use this, pour the solution into a spray bottle and mist the plants with more attention to the places underneath the leaves. You will need to do this twice a week until the whiteflies are gone.”
I used to think I should have tried ladybugs, but, from this website, it doesn’t sound like they would be the solution.
Luck to you!
I have zinnias growing from seed but no flowers yet. And bee balm? That’s where I first noticed them. It’s sure not warding them off! Nor is the catmint, which also gives off a minty smell. I could try adding some marigolds. But everything I’ve read says that dragonflies and lady bugs are two of their predators. Anyway, this infestation is so bad that I’m going to have cut some things back and use the Safer Soap. Thanks, Martha!