Thanks for the information Leafhead. Great amount of damage and no natural enemies is not a good picture. I looked up what their damage looks like and that's exactly how the leaves on my roses can look mid summer. I check the rose and night blooming jasmine leaves and I can never find anything. My Rose of Sharon bush is next to the roses and has stayed okay. Leafhead, have you ever tried or had any luck with diatomacious (sp?) earth? I tried it on ants and it didn't phase them. I threw it all over the navel orange tree, and I think it did slow the problems down. It might be worth trying. So unfortunate that world commerce has spread so many foreign invading species around the globe, harming natural habitats, our agriculture and gardening! My milkweed leaves have several different insects right now I think partly because there is not much other tender new plant growth around this time of year. I pushed my MW growth by cutting it back and fertilizing heavily-just to guarantee a food supply for all the late eggs being deposited-a serious problem-hard to pretend they aren't out there (for me). The second instars are TOO cute! Am still finding a few eggs and first and second instars daily! (help) I'm worried about running out of MW for the 30 Monarch larvae in the house. Without the black mildew (or mold?) and insects on the MW it wouldn't have been a problem. Next year I'll grow potted milkweed in the house for back-up. Then no worries about bugs, mold, cold temps at night, OE, etc. I'm thinking about covering the plants at night--I see the cold night-time temps are beginning to slow new growth. Had I never let that "weed" go into seed a few years back ...... :)

As shocking and sad that a mantis can actually catch a hummer (which amazed me), I expect it is an EXTRAORDINARILY rare event. In my 25 years of organic gardening (encouraging mantises among other beneficial insects), I have never seen a mantis with anything larger than a grasshopper or moth. And in untold numbers of weeding events, I have never found a hummingbird carcass on the ground among the flowers. Mantids aren't perfectly beneficial; they will catch a few "good" insects, too. But they shouldn't be considered any real threat to hummers either. Heck, I kept one as a "pet" for a couple of months once (put it on a thread leash and fed it moths). They are relatively safe to handle. You can just grab them gently from behind (like pinching a pencil in the middle) and they can't reach you. Or just put a long stick in front of them and they will generally get on it (they are afraid of you). Or push them into a slippery bowl and dump them on any plant away from the hummer feeders; they do not usually travel far. I'm a hummer-lover, but I am also mantis-friendly...

Thank you very much, Judy and Jim! Judy, I fertilize once a year (at best) with a handful of 10-10-10 and Epsom salt in the spring. Also, if I have anything organic (bought on clearance sale), I add a handful of this, too. That is it. I didn't spray my roses for about five years now. I do have my Black Spot champions here, but some roses show some BS resistance. I can not brag about my roses being free of disease (BS), but it is not crucial. I am still thinking about starting regular spraying program next year (although I made that promise to myself probably for three or four years already). Serena, I tried to make a picture of the bush of 'Ivor's Rose' today. It might look not so well on the picture, but it definitely looks much better in person. Also, I took a good look at the foliage today. It is superb, absolutely clean. Amazing.

It's always a treat when white ones show up; I've seen several over the years. Thanks for the nice image.