Photo by Eddie Dunbar on iNaturalist · CC BY-SA 4.0 · specimen identified as Aphis ceanothi
PestActive now (September)
Aphids
Aphidoidea
- When
- Apr–Sep — April, May, June, July, August, September. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where to look
- Growing tips, flower buds and the underside of young leaves, in dense colonies.
- How to know it
- Tiny pear-shaped insects, green, black or pink, with two little tailpipes at the rear. Sticky honeydew and ants tending them are the giveaway.
- What it does — and what to do
- Rarely worth spraying. A hard jet of water knocks them off, and lady beetles and hoverflies arrive within a week or two if you leave them alone.
Found in these regions
- Boreal North & Taiga
- Boreal Forest & Shield
- Acadian Forest & Atlantic Coast
- Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Lowlands
- Northeast Atlantic Coast & Piedmont
- Appalachian Highlands
- Central Hardwoods & Interior Plateaus
- Southeastern Piedmont & Coastal Plain
- Gulf Coast & Mississippi Lowlands
- Florida Peninsula
- Prairies & Great Plains
- Western Mountains & Interior Plateaus
- Pacific Maritime
- Mediterranean California
- Deserts & Dry Basins
- Hawaiʻi & the Tropics
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Also active in September
PollinatorMay–OctMonarch butterfly
Danaus plexippus
Orange with heavy black veins and a white-spotted black border. The caterpillar is banded yellow, white and black.
What it does in the garden →Photo: Christine Young · CC BY 4.0
PollinatorMay–SepRuby-throated hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
Tiny, iridescent green above; the male has a black-looking throat that flares ruby in the right light.
What it does in the garden →
BeneficialJul–OctPraying mantis
Mantidae
Long green or brown body, triangular head that swivels, and folded raptorial front legs.
What it does in the garden →