Warning: this post may be too scary for some. Today I have spine tingling tales of garden monsters and real potential dangers.
The slug wars continue. Today there was an afternoon rain shower and this made a demon hunt necessary... especially after my boyfriend (while collecting lettuce for dinner) informed me that something has been chewing on the lettuce. Ugh! I half suspected slugs as the culprit.
And so this evening I decided to go out AFTER dark as opposed to sunset to hunt me some demon slugs with my jar of warm salt water. Slugs were, as expected, of course crawling all over the usual veggie victims.
But... then... I saw it!
I knew what it was almost right away. I was grabbing up slugs like always and right beside one of the slugs I found on the ground... I saw a caterpillar I was not familiar with... it was not something I've seen during the day at least!
Lately there has been something wrecking havoc on my kale seedlings. When I found a few seedlings laying on the ground like fallen trees- something was up. I recalled reading something about a garden pest that caused damage like this before. This monster is a voracious eater that can cause extensive damage to plants and can even cut the entire plant down. When I described what I had found to a garden friend they confirmed my beliefs in what it was. She said that, "You never see them." Then I ran over to the kale.
And there it was... on the kale- cutting away!
CUTWORM!
My instinct was to squish them all... but then I remembered the garden blog and decided to take some pictures first... so I ran from the garden to the house to grab my camera. Then I ran all the way back to the garden- headlight strapped to my head... and saw glowing eyes in the grass as I approached the garden. At first I thought it was Angie cat, as she was just with me moments ago and was probably wondering why I was running around like I was (as though these slugs and worms are going anywhere fast).
While Angie cat is a great climber, whatever I saw was very quick about going up into a tree... which is right by our compost pile mind you. "Angie is that you?", I nervously asked the night as I directed the headlamp up towards one of the tree branches. Oh no it was not Angie. It was a RACCOON. *shivers*
Raccoons! Cutworms! I ran into the garden where Angie cat was waiting for me (surely still confused about my behavior), but now I was filled with a little fear. The raccoon was very close to the garden and I didn't want it to ... come inside. All around us were sounds of the night. I was becoming hyper aware and getting jumpy.
The headlamp was beginning to dim.
Back to the cutworms for a moment here:
I have very little experience with them... though technically I have likely experienced their damage to plants in the past and just never knew what to blame. When my garden friend said that you 'never see them', it made me wonder... why? Why don't you see them? And now I realize, maybe you never see them, because they are... nocturnal? I have never seen them during the day, but on the night I decide to go out after dark... there they are. Maybe you never see them because most people aren't crazy gardeners like me- prowling around at night in the backyard with a headlamp strapped to my forehead. And where do they come from? In the photo above the cutworm appears to be partially emerged in the soil... do they climb right out from the ground beneath their favorite meals?
I collected some specimens in a old peanut butter jar. In the past I have kept insects in a bug jar to study... if I've never seen it before it helps you make a positive identification of what your finding in the garden, to become familiar with what it is and learn what it does. Know thy enemy! So far I can tell you that these cutworms are about 2 + inches long. It was easier to see them on the plants than it was on the ground where they blend in with near perfect camouflage. When disturbed they curl up into a circle (it was easy to knock them off the plants). They really like kale.
There was a sound suddenly by one end of the garden. Angie? It was near the garden gate. I heard a growling sound. Not Angie, she was behind me in the garden. I saw the glowing eyes and as I approached them... I saw it was the raccoon again. Just thinking back gives me the shivers. I grabbed a garden rake and called to the cat. The glowing eyes retreated into the brush line and watched us as Angie and I slinked out of the garden. I don't know how she deals with these backyard neighbors. I don't know how I'm going to deal with my garden monsters. I do know... I'm getting out of here... *runs back to the house*
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