BY L O I S T R I G G C H A P L I N
GOOD STINK BUGS Most gardeners cringe at the presence of stink bugs because they can be so damaging to our tomatoes. Their long needle-like mouthparts puncture tomatoes leaving pin marks and discolored patches, or cause deformed tissue where they feed on beans and other crops. However, a few stink bugs are good guys. They don’t feed on plants, but instead eat harmful caterpillars and other insects that damage our crops. Both the adults and the young of predacious stinkbugs will feed on insects larger than themselves. How can you tell a good stink bug from a bad one? If you aren’t squeamish about picking one up, the easiest way is to check the beak, or long mouthpart that is tucked under the belly of the insect’s body just like a folding table leg. On plant feeding stinkbugs it is thin, but on predacious ones it is stout -- usually about twice the thickness of the insect’s antennae. They use the stout proboscis to pierce and suck fluids from the bodies of their prey. Sounds like inspiration for a sci-fi movie scene. Predatory stinkbugs include the spined soldier bug (Podisus maculiventris), the two-spotted stink bug (Perillus bioculatus), the Florida predatory stink bug (Euthyrhynchus floridanus), the anchor stinkbug
Predacious stink bug feeding on caterpillar
(Stiretrus anchorago), and others. The stout mouthpart is a sure identification, but get images to recognize them by sight by searching “predatory stinkbugs” online.
TRY TIBOUCHINA Looking for an elegant plant for a summer container? Consider Tibouchina (Tibouchina urvilleana). Also known as Princess Flower and Purple Glory Bower, this tropical tree is elegant, long-blooming and showy in a pot. It quickly fills a container with velvety leaves and big, single purple flowers that appear throughout summer. In frost-free South Florida it is a small landscape tree, but will live in a pot for years if kept wintered indoors or in a greenhouse. Plants are relatively forgiving about water, too, tolerating soil that is on the dry side if you should miss a watering. Tibouchina needs sun for good flowering, but appreciates some afternoon shade in high summer. Plants will grow 3 to 5 feet tall depending on the size of the pot.
Tibouchina in pot
June/July 2022
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