It looks and sounds like you have two types of pests - brown scale are the round-ish blobs. The tiny bugs, along with the speckling on the leaves, sound like spider mites. Google those names to see if they match up along with various ways to eliminate them. Brooke

Perhaps tar spot?

Tried taking a picture, but they're just too small to get a decent focus on. They really do look like spider mites in that they have a dark body but tiny lightly colored (legs?) sticking out in front but slightly larger in overall size. They also have antennae like aphids. Smooth, solid black with a tiny white speck on the left and right sides. Their undersides are white-ish. They tend to hop when disturbed or trying to get to something and they're pretty good at it. I'm only finding them in the top 1/16" of soil, but I've also noticed a few green aphids hanging around too on the surface. They seem to be spreading to other containers. So far, I've found them in containers of seedlings/seeds of: Texas bluebonnet Platycodon Aster Datura (more recent) Blackberry Lily All containers have a bit of algae growth in them. Overnight, I noticed that they flocked to a cup of water that I had a chrysanthemum cutting in it. Most drowned, but several seem to be hanging on to the stem a few inches above the water, which leads me to think that they're an aphid or mite of some sort. Once again I noticed another green aphid nearby.

I saw your post earlier and did a quick google search on "black ladybugs". I hope someone with much more experience will respond. But just from my search, black ladybugs are similar to what is familiar to us as ladybugs. They prey on other "pests", so are beneficial. There are black lady bugs and the familiar red/orange ones, and there are grey ones too from what I found. So don't act yet until you hear from the more experienced people. You may want to keep these "guests" around. Jennie Jennie