Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Friday - August 22, 2008

From: Old Hickory, TN
Region: Southeast
Topic: Diseases and Disorders
Title: Insect pests in Gaillardia aristata in Tennessee
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a couple of 'Oranges and Lemons' blanketflower plants in a butterfly and hummingbird native flower garden that is the foundation planting of my house. They bloom prolifically for me all summer and well into the fall, and seem to be quite popular with the butterflies. However, this year and last year they have been severly damaged by what I am pretty sure are leaf miners. The leaves now have significantly more white/pale yellow than green, and the white areas are very papery, thin, and almost see-through. Also, many of the badly damaged leaves burn, and completely shrivel up. By the end of the summer they start to look very raggedy, although the continued blooms are still very nice and drawing butterflies. What, if anything, can I do to prevent this damage without harming the butterflies? I saw a systemic granule that is supposed to protect against leaf miners - but it is harmful to caterpillars. Do any butterflies or moths use the blanketflower as a larval food? Would the systemic make the nectar poisonous as well? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

ANSWER:

Gaillardia aristata (common gaillardia) is not distributed naturally in Tennessee, but is easily spread by cultivation. The "Oranges and Lemons" is no doubt a trade name, possibly for some color selection, of the blanketflower.

From your description, it appears you are correct that a leafminer is causing the damage to the leaves on your plants. More specifically, we believe the culprit is the Blotch Leafminer, named for the appearance of the tunnels made by the larvae in the leaves. Some of the main hosts of the Blotch Leafminer are members of the Asteraceae family, including Gaillardia. Heavy infestations may kill some leaves, but most damage is simply aesthetic.

There is a biological control of these pests, in the form of a number of parasitic wasps that attack leafminers. We urge you to avoid chemical controls, as they would not only take out the parasitic wasps that help control the leafminers, but also be damaging to other beneficial insects, and certainly to the butterflies and bees you are hoping to attract. Good cultural practices in your garden, good drainage and removing damaged leaves and destroying them, will also help to discourage the leafminers.

 

More Diseases and Disorders Questions

Browning leaves on Ilex vomitoria in Houston
July 02, 2009 - Houston, we have a problem!!! I have a number of yaupon bushes that have been in my yard for years that have a large number of leaves turning a solid dark brown color. Any ideas of the cause?
view the full question and answer

Mice eating seeds put out for birds
June 02, 2008 - I love feeding the wild birds and put out seed in our backyard. Now, I have a family of mice eating the seed and they are living in the trunk of our elm tree! How can I get rid of them without killi...
view the full question and answer

Problems with non-native Chinaberry tree from Tucson AZ
September 05, 2013 - I have a 30+ year old Chinaberry tree and this year the branches are much sparser with leaves and there are a lot of small dead branches. Should I fertilize and what should I use? Thank you
view the full question and answer

Transplant shock in Dakota mock vervain
July 23, 2007 - We just planted some Verbena bipinnatifida in our back yard and when we planted it, it had purple flowers on it but now they've all dried up. We live in central Colorado and thought this plant was fa...
view the full question and answer

Iris Changing Color?
April 03, 2015 - I have some iris planted under a very tall tree and they bloom nicely every February. The original bulbs were given to me when I moved here to Arizona 30 years ago. They have always bloomed white. I h...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.