Crinum Lilies, Hibiscus, and Invasive Pest Awareness Month!

Crinum lilies are tough, low maintenance plants that bloom prolifically on lengthy, succulent stalks. In Zones 9 and up, they typically flower from early spring through midsummer and sporadically during the rest of the year. I noticed the cluster below on Easter Sunday while we were Brunching (yet again ❗ it’s the BEST!) at Disney Vero Beach Resort.  Even when their flowers have withered, Crinums create an architectural focal point in the landscape.

While exploring the Disney Resort’s grounds, I ran across a group of signs I’d missed on previous occasions.  Clever advertising, yeah?

 Following the sign towards the beach, I passed this pretty hibiscus lined road:

Here’s a close-up view of a fully opened flower:

As you can see from the foliage and blooms, this is a very healthy specimen: not all hibiscus have been this lucky

In June, 1992, an invasive insect known as Pink Hibiscus Mealybug was discovered in Broward County, Florida and has continued spreading upwards throughout the state.

The Pink Hibiscus Mealybug (PHM) sucks juices from its host plant, injecting toxic saliva as it feeds. This process leads to the malformation of leaves and fruit, as well as stunted leaves and terminal (tip) growth, which is commonly called “bunchy top.”  PHM affects species beyond ornamentals.  The list is staggering:  citrus, avocado, fig, guava, mango, and sugarcane; vegetable crops including asparagus, beans, beets, cabbage, peanuts, pigeon pea, cucumber, lettuce, pepper, pumpkin, and tomato.  Even forest trees are at risk of harboring this hungry pest!

With this in mind, the USDA has declared April, Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month. Invasive pests and diseases are non-native species that cause – or are likely to cause – harm to the economy, the environment or human health. The USDA stresses that the more people know about hungry pests, the more they can do to stop them.

  Go to www.HungryPests.com to learn more, and get involved on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hungrypests.

Until next time….

🙂 🙂 🙂

Related articles

• Hibiscus flower (ajaytao2010.wordpress.com)
• The meaning of a Hibiscus (hellosommer2013.wordpress.com)
• Habiscus (projectventuragarden.wordpress.com)
• Spread the Message, Not the Pests (fldpi.wordpress.com)
• Invasive pests cost Americans millions (usatoday.com)
• Asian beetle pest eradicated from Canada (cbc.ca)

• Amaryllis
• APHIS
• Crinum
• Crinum Asiatic
• Disney Vero Beach Resort
• Florida
• Florida Gardening
• Gardening
• Hibiscus
• Pink Hibiscus Mealybug
• Red Splotch fungus
• USDA Invasive Species Month
• Vero Beach