Columbine INFESTED with tiny orange insects with black spot

Noticed recently that the self-sowing columbine that has lived in the broken pot for ages isn't doing well this year.

I had noticed it looked rusty-coloured, and was small and wrinkled/eaten-looking, but hadn't really looked closely.

Until today -- a real close look revealed it's covered in tiny orange insects with black dots!

They look the same size as the ones I saw on the asparagus, but I don't recall the asparagus ones having a black dot.

I really need to get a magnifying glass to be able to have a better look at things like this.

Removed as much as I could, leaving just some roots and one piece that looks healthy.

Then moved the pot next to the fence/garbage.  TBD whether keep or not.

Also sprayed remaining with soapy water.

Asparagus problems!!! (1) tiny orange insects (2) leathery (3) dried tips etc.

Noticed earlier this week that some of the asparagus spears didn't look normal.  Indeed some of them are shrivelled and leathery; some have tiny orange insects on them (<1mm), one had a small hole drilled in it near where I found a small black fly, and some have dried tips or a shrunken midsection, etc.

Arghhhhh

So I cut off the wonky ones and sprayed everything with dish soap / water solution.

Don't remember seeing this last spring, but, I did see an asparagus beetle last summer.

I can't figure out what the cause is, though.  Maybe the tiny orange insects are circumstantial because I can't find any info on what they could be in terms a problem for the asparagus.