Pests

Well at least this wet summer has been good for one creature, the slug. We went to a party at the weekend, it was held in a garden. I was chatting to a friend, she had put her wine glass on the floor, the next time she took a sip she gave an almighty shriek, a slug had climbed up the stem of the glass. On the plate next to it another six slugs had decided to party! The real villain in my garden is the red lily beetle, a relatively new pest that is spreading. A stunning bright scarlet insect, so it is easy to spot. This spring it decimated all my snake's head fritillary plants, not one had a flower on it. Previously I had given up growing lilies in pots due to this beetle but the snake's head fritillary is a native plant.