Insect report: May 28th

I will use this as a running "tally" of the various insects I've seen in my garden, mostly ones who eat the plants but a few other interesting ones as well.  For future updates I'll copy this list and build on it.

The dates indicate the first day I saw them

Lupin aphids:  May 23rd (first time I've seen these in person)
Flea beetles:  May 24th (actually I think I saw them a few days prior)
Three lined potato beetles:  May 24th
Slugs:  May 26th
Yellow wooly bear moth:  May 26th (first time I've seen one of these in person)
Clavate tortoise beetle:  May 27th (first time I've seen one of these in person)

Transplanted two zinnias, and one sunflower, into front bed as test

To see if they survive (1) the lupin aphids (which are almost all gone but finding a few more each day) and (2) the groundhogs (the three sunflowers transplanted a few days ago still look fine).

Lupin aphid update: none found this morning

^^^

Lupin aphid removal - day 1

For fear of this infestation spreading to the vegetables, I removed as many as possible today.  Dish soap and water, several applications.  Rinsed off later with hose.  Horrible.  Will monitor in future days.

If this happens again next year, I will remove all lupins.

The original lupin plant up against the house looks awful, but I think it will come back.

The next biggest one looks healthy and alive (though less so after today's treatment).

The other smaller ones look fine.

Lupin plant smothered in green aphids!! Another lupin dried out, dying?

Noticed today while watering, that the nice-looking lupin along the front edge of the front bed is infested with aphids! Oh no!!!

I was watering because the grandmother lupin up against the house looks like it's dying.  Not sure if because of lack of water (hopefully, and hopefully it can be saved), or, if maybe the aphids started there and then moved on?