I don't know if these little buggers exist in other areas of the country, but we here in the Northeast are plagued by the Lily Leaf Beetle. Small and red, easily mistaken for ladybugs at a distance, these pests literally devour Asiatic and Oriental lilies, laying waste to entire displays. The lilies end up looking as if someone set them on fire and then had a change of heart. I have so many gorgeous lilies, and now half of them are in tatters. Asiatic lilies seem to fare the worst, followed by the Orientals. Thankfully, the magnificent tall trumpet lilies seem immune to the beetles. It's really maddening; you see your lilies opening up one day, and by the next they're a sorry mess - petals chewed within an inch of their lives, leaves (what's left of them!) covered with beetle exhaust and the whole plant generally looking like hell. What should be a stunningly beautiful time of year in the garden becomes a wasteland......
Honestly, some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints........
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