What's eating my monkey flower?

Monkey flower is generally trouble-free but slugs are its most consistent threat, razing young transplants and soft foliage overnight in cool, damp conditions. Aphids and whitefly occasionally attack new growth. Good drainage and prompt slug control around planting time are the key defenses.

Irregular, smooth-edged holes in leaves and stems; young plants can be sheared to the ground overnight; slime trails present. Apply ferric phosphate pellets (wildlife-safe); set beer traps; pick off by hand at dusk; use copper tape around pots.

Colonies on shoot tips distort new growth and leave sticky honeydew, promoting sooty mold. Blast with water; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil; encourage aphid predators such as lacewings.

Yellowish speckling on upper leaf surface; sticky honeydew and white insects on leaf undersides. Yellow sticky traps; spray undersides of leaves with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.