I have the same problem every year with my Columbine plant ..Some bugs eat all the leafs and of course it stops it from flowering ..I have two of them . only eats one at the time .. SoI,m wondering what kind of bugs should I look for I tried some soapy water But that didnt work . didnt want to kill it completly .. PLease help for next year ... Shirl
If the pest isn't visable, it is very likely to be slugs. Columbines are their gourmet choice in my yard. Check late at night for them and in the morning, keep an eye out for shiny trails left behind from the previous night's feast. There are many methods to defer them... sharp sand or egg shells under the plant. Or, even copper metal strips at the base --they do not like the electrical conductivity. Otherwise there is a nice and safe product out there call Safer's Slug and Snail Bait-- works like a charm. Its even non-toxic. Watch out for other products however which are EXTREMELY toxic. Hope this helps.
Shirl--in our area this would be the sawfly--looks a lot like a little green caterpiller but is actually some kind of fly larva. (This makes a difference with control, as caterpillers are easy to manage with Bt organic insecticides). These sawflies on the other hand are eliminated using Safer's Trounce, (tho probably any pyrethrin type product would work)...this is an insecticidal soap plus pyrethrin that controls quite a range of pests with little or no toxicity to the rest of us. And yup, the sawflies can completely strip a plant in a matter of days...I'm just not 100% sure they live in your climate but sounds like it!
