summer begins to bug me

this summer has brought the usual population of japanese beetles...both singly...

and in pairs...doing thier usual work...

of skeletalizing grape...

and bean leaves...however, beyond these irritants i have discovered both...

a grapevine beetle...

and a colorado potato beetle...both are native to the area and so are not climate migrants ( the potato beetle was first seen in 1811 and has moved steadily east and across thre atlantic to europe...migrants to be sure, simply not recent arrivals )...the grapvine beetle would seem to be a fairly harmless parasite...it is not classed as a "pest"...

and neither the seedless grapes on the trellis...

nor the concords in the fir and catalpa trees seem to be suffering much damage from either of the the beetle species chewing the leaves and stems ( the birds will nail the grapes in due time...flash tape soon enough )...i don't see a lot of damage on the spuds either albeit that when you see one beetle you can safely bet there are more and i am told they are prolific reproducers...vigilance is called for and we will keep our eyes open and look around...

and as a parting shot from the insect world, i found a bumblebee taking a break on a bean leaf and she was clearly unhappy about posing for a nosy photographer...the "buzz off" couldn't be plainer.