On Death Row

He's a Lily Beetle, [iLilioceris lilii][/i]. A wee beauty maybe but he spells death to my lilies and fritillaries. The adults and larvae eat the foliage of these plants to the extent that they can defoliate them which severely weakens the plants. If their progress is left unchecked the lilies and fritillaries die out after a couple of years :-(

So, I'm afraid this is a Death Row blip. He met his end shortly after posing for a mug shot. Later in the season I spray the lilies with a systemic insecticide but for the snakeshead fritillaries I remove them by hand. Well actually I hold a jam jar under them and at the slightest nudge they jump off the plant ... straight into my jar.

fyi - the larvae have orange bodies with black heads, but are normally covered with their own slimy black excrement. Lovely!