The lush green leaves and perfumed blossoms of summer provide an inviting veneer which covers a menacing reality.
It is a jungle out there, even if the predators are small and people are not usually on the menu.
Lurking beneath the foliage are aggressive and voracious creatures which may attack in near infinite waves with only the thought of reducing their victim to mere twigs.
Hot weather may turn a young person’s heart to beaches and baseball, but bugs want to eat.
For many homeowners, this is the season where nature’s fury is encountered at its fullest and most expensive. More than one has made divine entreaties seeking relief from plagues worse than those Ramses II endured.
One of the major culprits is aphids. This nearly invisible insect uses stealth and disguise to do its damage to the flawless landscapes and vegetable gardens of panhandle Florida.
Aphids will feed on almost any tender vegetation. The tiny “plant vampires” will literally suck the juices of life our to plants, both cultivated and wild.
Points of attack are on the underside of leaves and on the herbaceous new-growth stems.
Aphids set up colonies where they pierce the plant’s vascular system like hordes of tiny vampires.
Soon spots appear on the leaves and vegetables, with decay and die-off occurring in short order.
To add injury to the infestation, the aphids open the plant to a variety of systemic diseases which are unsightly at best and fatal at worst.
While latched to the plants, aphids have a naturally occurring problem of their own, that being ladybugs. The brightly colored insect frequents children’s books and movies as friendly, benign creature always with a cheery smile and a kind word. Reality is quite different.
These ungainly flyers constantly hunt for juicy aphids whose only defense is a good hiding place and luck. Ladybugs land with a diminutive clatter alerting the aphids to the horrors which will soon be forthcoming.
The fast and surprisingly agile ladybugs quickly acquire a target and close in for the kill. What follows could pass for a horror movie from the quarry’s perspective.
For the aphids it is not pretty, but for the gardener it is justice delivered for damage done.
Unfortunately, ladybugs will fall prey to the use of chemical insecticides along with the offending destructive insect.
If the ladybug population is high, give them a chance to clean up the problems before turning to the nuclear option.
Nature has delivered several vexing challenges and unusual situations to north Florida gardeners who desire to produce fresh vegetables. Those close to the coast on tidal creeks and marshes have a uniquely difficult problem.
The wharf crab is found mostly around pilings, stumps, rubble and shells. It is an intertidal creature and active above the water line at low tide.
In natural settings it grazes primarily on detritus and fallen vegetation, though it will scavenge dead marine animals to a lesser degree. The wrack line of seaweed is a common foraging area for wharf crabs, but they are not found on a sandy beach.
For local gardeners the tiny crabs are a pest which eats tomatoes and eggplant while still in the garden. About the only hope is a flock of hungry seagulls with a deft touch to take the crabs and leave the vegetables.
At least the beach and baseball have the potential to provide a reprieve from the gardening challenges faced in the hot weather.
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