Question of the Week – Tachinid Fly Eggs
What is on the head and back of this leaffooted bug? The oblong, white objects on this leaffooted bug (Leptoglossus oppositus) are eggs of a parasitoid fly (Trichopoda pennipes), which will hatch...
Category: In the Garden
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – October 21, 2024
Fall weather has arrived, and strawberry planting is in full swing. Conditions have been dry across the state since Hurricane Helene. Diseases and insects are showing up in places as the fall...
Popcorn Cassia
Last October, while driving along Main Street in uptown Greenwood, SC, I spotted a large plant with tall golden flower spikes. It was so fantastic that I made a U-turn to check it out. The plant was...
Perennial Lemmon’s Marigold Is a Fall Garden Focal Point
Marigolds, in the genus Tagetes, are usually thought of as summer annuals. Lemmon’s marigold, Tagetes lemmonii, is a perennial species that blooms in the fall. It deserves a place in any mixed...
Question of the Week – Southern Blight
What are these brown pellets found on the base of a tomato plant? These brown pellets are sclerotia from the soil-borne fungus Athelia rolsii, commonly called Southern blight. The photograph was...
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – 10/14/24
As cleanup from Hurricane Helene continues in the western parts of the state, crops are looking great elsewhere. Strawberry transplants are arriving on farms, and planting has begun in many places....
Bug Hotel
We recently created a “bug hotel” in the South Carolina Botanical Garden. This is a fun project you can do too! But why? The short answer is that insects and other arthropods are under intense...
Garden Sanitation
Diseases happen in the garden. Pathogens find a susceptible host plant in a favorable environment and invade. The unfortunate plant may just show reduced health or may end up completely dead. When...
Papier Mâché Powerhouses
Indications of fall are all around. Goldenrod is blooming, leaves are falling, pumpkin spice lattes are being served at your favorite coffee shop, and stinging insects seem to be everywhere. Just...
Question of the Week – Southern Purple Mint Moth
Where did all the webbing and frass on this rosemary come from? This is from the Southern purple mint moth caterpillar (Pyrausta laticlavia). This caterpillar has been seen on rosemary throughout...
Clemson’s Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Garden
Clemson’s Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Garden is a multidisciplinary effort to create something that is both beautiful and beneficial. The garden consists of almost entirely native plants,...
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – October 7, 2024
Parts of the state continue to clean up damage from Hurricane Helene. Apples are being harvested in the Upstate, and strawberry planting is just beginning. Disease is becoming more prevalent from...