Clematis Bugs

In early fall, these bugs rapidly ate up my Sweet Autumn Clematis. The vine was simply filled with these creatures. I got pretty close to these beetles trying to see them well. I am so glad I did not touch them because I just found out what they are: margined black blister beetles! They are identified by bulbous heads, long legs, and narrow elongated soft bodies. They differ from  black beetles by having grey margins on their wings. I remember seeing blister beetles a long time ago, but they did not look like these. No wonder. There are 7500 different species worldwide  (Another example of God loving beetles as He made so many.) These particular ones have been known to kill cattle that ate hay they were in, even though the beetles were dead. The beetles have a substance in their blood called cantharidin which causes blistering. Imagine that on your insides and you feel a need to back away.
They can be controlled by using a gloved hand to knock them into soapy water (and carefully dispose of later) or using a pesticide. I made no attempt to kill them, so next year I may be eaten up with them in the yard.

Sweet Autumn Clematis

The white flowering vines you've been seeing along the roadsides, yards, and just about everywhere is Sweet Autumn Clematis. They are beautiful, hardy, and smell great, plus the seed heads are beautiful in their own right. What's not to like?.... Well, for starters they reseed so if you want to grow anything else, be vigilant. Don't let it go to seed. When the bloom has finished, but before the seed are mature, give the vine a violent pruning.They bloom on current season's growth, so you will not decrease next year's show.
For years I thought my SAC (Sweet Autumn Clematis) was either virginiana or paniculata, but each year I noticed more seedling plants and this year after doing a little research, I have concluded that what I have is probably C. ternifolia, one of the more invasive types from.. where else...Japan. The taxonomy of the SAC is out of control. Paniculata seems to be another name for ternifolia and that is not the end of the naming mess.
There may be dozens of different ones, but the only native may be virginiana, which is reported not to spread so readily. But I still like them anyway. If you are thinking of getting one, I will be glad to supply you with a plant,freshly dug. But you may want to enjoy them by the roadsides and stop and pick fistfuls of the flowers. They look wonderful alone in arrangements or as filler.
Looking back, I see I am beginning to repeat myself, maybe because the plants I like come around every year. Any way, the pictures are new and some of the ruminations.

Sweet Autumn Clematis and ecology ruminations

 

Clematis paniculata is blooming right now and you can see it along the road. It is that white fuzzy looking flower that is growing over the tops of all the other bushes and weeds. I never notice it till it blooms. The flowers smell of honey to me. It is attractive from a distance and beautiful up close. I have one growing on a fence and dripping down. Another sprawls over the crown of a white Loropetalum which alone is not too spectacular this time of year.
It is a great addition to an arrangement as it can be wound around the other flowers or allowed to trail down from the container, just like it does in nature. It holds up well in arrangements, too. But be careful if you plant it in your yard. It is likely to pop up everywhere in a few years. But then, that is not an altogether unattractive prospect. However if you like more order, you can prune the vine back after it finishes blooming and before the seed set. If you do that though, you have to weigh it against the loss of those beautiful fluffy seed heads. (Every action or inaction has consequences.)
When you push Mother Nature, she pushes back, sometimes in unexpected ways. The weather news we have been watching all day about Hurricane Gustav and remembering Katrina has pointed that out. The loss of wetlands (those yucky weedy places) provided protection for the Louisiana coast in the past,as well as nurseries for fish, crabs, etc. But in our lust for more oil, we let oil companies dredge canals in the Louisiana wetlands, allowing salt water to move in, destroying the wetlands. In nature, nothing is isolated. The footbone is connected to the leg bone is connected to the hip bone....