Oleander aphids have infested my butterfly milkweed. I usually ignore them. But then it just dawned on me that it's the aphids that have been attacking the blooms, thus preventing the plant from making seed pods. The same thing goes for my Texas milkweed. Lots of aphids, no seed pods.
So I decided I'd go to war against these blasted insects and see if I could put a dent in their numbers. I tried a couple of approaches but ended up using a paintbrush to knock them into a bowl of soapy water (one drop of Dawn). I also used my finger to smush them. We'll see if I arrived in time to help out the flowers.
My lovely assistant, Abe, pitched in and helped.
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