What's eating my chinese peony?

Chinese peony (Paeonia lactiflora) is most commonly troubled by botrytis blight, but its main animal and invertebrate pests are thrips, which distort flowers and foliage, and rose chafer beetles that damage blooms. Ants are attracted by nectar but do no harm. Deer generally avoid peonies; rabbits occasionally browse young spring shoots.

Silvery, streaked or flecked petals and foliage; distorted buds that fail to open properly Remove and destroy infested flowers and buds; apply insecticidal soap or spinosad spray; use blue sticky traps to monitor

Adults eat holes in petals and stamens during bloom, ruining the flowers Hand-pick beetles in early morning; use row cover over buds during peak beetle season; apply kaolin clay to deter feeding

Young emerging shoots nipped cleanly at ground level in early spring Protect emerging crowns with wire mesh cloches in early spring; apply rabbit repellent around the planting area