What's eating my athyrium angustum f. rubellum 'lady in red'?

Athyrium angustum f. rubellum 'Lady in Red' is a striking garden fern with relatively few pest issues. Slugs and snails are the biggest threat to its colorful emerging fronds. Deer readily browse it in open garden situations. Vine weevil can attack the crown. Overall pest pressure is low on established plants.

Irregular holes and notched edges on tender new fronds and unrolling croziers, especially in spring Scatter iron phosphate pellets around the crown; hand-pick at dusk or after rain; use grit or sharp sand as a surface barrier

Fronds browsed down to the red stems; 'Lady in Red' is particularly attractive to deer due to tender, palatable growth Protect with deer fencing or use strong-scented repellent sprays; site behind a fence or wall where possible

Adults notch frond margins; grubs eat roots and rhizomes causing wilting or crown death Apply Steinernema kraussei nematodes to moist soil in late summer; check roots when dividing the clump and destroy any grubs