If you moisten your fingers, then smear one of those frass pellets, you'll see that they are really green and not black. Highly concentrated recycled bean leaves.

Ok, I took some pics today and will try to get better shots if these aren't good enough. The tree looks to be over 30 ft tall and doesn't look like a weeping willow to me but she says it is. The bugs are black about a fourth of an inch long. My camera battery went kaput as soon as I got to the tree so I didn't get many pictures. The first pic is the white stuff on the branch. The second one is the white stuff on the ground and then a pic of the tree. I hope these help you guys. Thanks, Judy

Without seeing a photo of the particualr insect, one can only guess. I have an abundance of assassin bugs thay stay on my daylilies. They are reddish-orange and black as adults, having less black as juveniles. They are predatory insects and I am glad to have them as they LOVE to eat insect pests such as aphids. Although they do wander around the plant, the assassin bugs here tend to stay on and around the buds. They do not bother the buds or the plant, but rather eat those insects that ARE harmful to buds. I would also guess that it is high heat, high humidity, lots of rain, or lack of rain that is causing your bud drop. One, all, or any combination can cause bud drop. This time of the year, bud drop is usually caused by high temperatures.

Hello! Could this be a chrysalis as well? It was on the stairs to my basement and unfortunately my daughter accidentally stepped on it. I tooa a photo bc I wasnt sure if it could be some kind of animal scat or egg of something horrendous. Now that I saw the above chrysalis Im feeling terrible that it could have been from something beautiful. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance! Oh... it's about 1 1/4" long and bright green gooey stuff came out :( It was very smooth, thick, and rubbery, almost like something plastic. I didnt notice any adornment at all, however.