Bugs and worms and stuff!

There seems to be yellowing on the blossom end of the original zucchini and it hasn't grown much either so likely not going to survive. There is a new one coming in to the left of that one that's bigger so there's still hope.

Possibly blossom end rot

 Also there was two new invaders spotted on the bushes.

Ah! Grasshopper!

Leafminers

It was a tiny one, not even an inch, so I just squirted it with my hose and it jumped onto the wall. Yes it can grow into a bigger one that can chew on my leaves but honestly, unless it calls over friends I will leave it be until further notice. The leafminers are tiny and though there are a lot of small tracks that will get bigger I'm not going to go running for the spray just yet. As big as the leaves are and as many there are I'm more worried about the grasshopper growing up and chomping on the leaves.

And on further inspection of the peppers I decided to pick off another half dozen, they don't seem to be getting any bigger and the roots are still not that packed into the soil. Stupid cat... that's my assumption at least.

The tomatoes themselves are still plugging along and had to prop up the cage because it is getting so dang huge!

It's almost to my shoulder and has to be at least four feet wide. And people always look at me odd when I say their tiny plant is going to need the big cage real fast. When I straightened it the little pepper plant was almost swallowed and the tomato on that side could barely be seen.

I can hardly wait until I can amend the soil better and see what results I get!

 

Oh, revisiting the bougainvillea I discovered two of the culprits on another bush:

 

 

   

 

This is why you can never find them, they are true 'looper' or 'inch worms' with front and back legs but nothing in between. They were very well camouflaged and believe it or not that is the same wall my phone and the shade made it change color.They were about 3/4 inch long so not quite an inch worm.

 

Speaking of worms.

 

That appears to be a cocoon for a caterpillar on the tomato. Not a tomato hornworm for sure so I plucked off the leaf and threw it in the jade plant. It didn't look healthy and may have been infected with a fungus. 

So, even my garden is not safe from invaders but with a little managed care and attention everyone will come through all right.

Maybe red tomatoes in about two weeks?