What's eating my star magnolia 'royal star'?

'Royal Star' Star Magnolia is a compact shrub-tree vulnerable to magnolia scale on its stems and occasional aphid or thrips damage on flowers and buds. Because it blooms very early, late frost is the main threat to the flowers, but insect pests can also scar the buds. Scale on woody stems is the primary insect concern.

Waxy brownish bumps on young branches; sticky honeydew leads to sooty mold and dieback Horticultural oil at crawler emergence in late summer; dormant oil in late winter before bud swell

Silvery or brown streaking on white flower petals and distorted buds Spinosad spray on opening buds; remove spent flowers promptly

Clusters on new shoot tips; leaf distortion and honeydew deposits in spring Insecticidal soap; strong water jet; beneficial insects usually keep numbers low