So you can tell by looking at the plant whether you have thrips or not? You didn't see any evidence of them in my photos, yorkrose? Yes, I have had winter moths for the past four years. It is really a pain, but I keep observing to see how it changes from year to year. This year they were late, but they did show up. They weren't as bad as previous years. One year my two Maples had very visible holes all over the tree. This year I can't see a lot at all. It's even more annoying when they drop down onto plants in the yard. But on the other hand, there are lots of birds that have started camping out for the abundance of food. I see starlings especially like them and are in the trees hunting and pecking. I've seen sparrows eating them and this year I've been amazed to see Orioles hopping around in the trees eating them. So I've held off on using the BT. Right now I think with the few roses I have, hand picking and close observation may keep things manageable. I hope! [g] Kate, are there bugs that eat the sawfly larvae? York Rose, thanks for that link. I see they are supposed to feed until mid June. I've already seen a noticeable dropoff in activity.

I love the mantis. I found an egg sack last fall when I was tearing the plants out of my barrels on the deck. (I cover the barrels for the winter to preserve the dirt - this year I plan to cover them with clear plastic and wintersow right in them.) I put the egg sack in a very protected place for the winter. I waited and waited for them to hatch. Then I read that you probably would never know that the eggs hatched - they emerge from a tiny hole and are tiny and they scatter right away. But I did see two small ones on the deck this summer so I think it was from that egg sack. Haven't seen them in a while now. They probably see me everyday though!

Jean- My 4 o'clocks never come up the following year, they always get frozen by winter. They do not even self seed here. I mean they do alll summer but then again nothing comes up over winter. So I have to start them again, which is a real pain. I had them running all along the front wall last summer until I yanked them to make that big planter box in the front yard were lots of new daylilies are going to be planted. Now morning glories are another story, those always (and easily) self seed. I find that if I leave any or miss any they bloom the wrong colors with smaller flowers, so I pull out self seeded vines and plant new ones from bought seeds. Last year I had some on a tower but they got so overgrown I pulled them out. This spring I think I will plant them on a much bigger, stronger tower were my trumpet vine died. Julie- I love the flowers on the bearded iris but for me the bloom period is too short to go nuts and plant them all over. Also, I do not like the looks of the bearded iris folliage. That skinny bed section in the front will be it for now. The Siberian Iris are different and I think they will be a lovely no fuss addition to my garden. Last night I also ordered one Japanese Iris because the picture was so lovely, I could not resist. I had some Japanese Iris many, many years ago at another house but not since then. I have this empty spot that I tried daylilies in but moved them because I did not like the look there. Its got roses and crosima on the sides and daylilies in front and then empty spot will now be iris. I also bought my first ever Spuria Iris and still don't know where I will plant it.

I decided to look up thrips in my book about greenhouse pests and beneficials. It seems they reproduce both sexually and asexually. There are 5 instar stages, egg,2 larva stages, prepupal, pupal and adult. The hotter the temperatures, the faster they go from egg to adult. Apparently thrips are really attracted to blue so some greenhouse growers hang blue sticky cards. I was wondering if you could paint stakes blue, smear with vaseline and catch them that way? The blue stakes might not look to bad with daylilies either. Think that would work? I read on the robin that one lady plants white allyssum to attract beneficials that eat the thrips. She says it worked for her. 'The most beneficial spray they have that shows promise is Metarhizium anisopliae, an entomopathogenic fungi. When the spores land on the thrips, they break through to the inside using enzymes and mechanical force. The insect dies within a few days.' Marg