Karen Delahaut, formerly UW-Madison Fresh Market Vegetable Program Revised: 5/28/2004 Item number: XHT1032 The imported cabbageworm (Pieris rapae) is a lepidopteran insect and the most important cole crop pest in Wisconsin. All cole crops, including cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and rutabaga, are susceptible to attack by this insect. Appearance: Imported cabbageworm adults are the […]
Field ants are common in Wisconsin, and noted for producing large mounds that ruin home lawns and interfere with landscape plantings. This factsheet discusses identification and control.
Karen Delahaut, UW-Madison Fresh Market Vegetable Program Revised: 5/28/2004 Item number: XHT1031 The diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) is a lepidopteran insect and an important pest of cole crops in Wisconsin. All cole crops, including cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and rutabaga, are susceptible to attack by this insect. Appearance: The diamondback moth is a small, […]
Author: Russell Groves, UW-Madison Entomology Last Revised: 05/01/2020 X-number: XHT1107 Tomato hornworms (Manduca quinquemaculata) and tobacco hornworms (M. sexta) are large, blue-green caterpillars (larvae) with a spine (horn) on the posterior (rear) end. These insects do not typically cause significant damage in commercial vegetable fields. However, large numbers of larvae can occasionally occur in home gardens, leading to […]
Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is a fast-spreading, tall Eurasian plant that grows primarily in wetlands and ditches, but can invade home gardens. This factsheet covers identification and control of this attractive, yet invasive, plant.
Cold frames and hot beds, hoop houses, cloches, and floating row covers allow gardeners to grow plants earlier in spring and later in fall. Get ideas that will work for you in this factsheet.
Dodders are parasitic plants that can affect a variety of plants, including vegetables, herbaceous and woody plants, and even weeds. Learn what dodders look like and what to do if you find them in this factsheet.
Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 4/27/2004 Item number: XHT1102 What people commonly call fruit flies are flies from the genus Drosophila. Also known as pumice or vinegar flies, they range in size from 1∕16 to 1∕8 inch long, and are light to dark brown in color. Some of the common species of fruit […]
Multicolored Asian lady beetles are a nusiance when clustered in large numbers on buildings in fall. While beneficial as a predator of pests in the landscape, they can also damage fruits. Learn more here.
What is a rain barrel? A rain barrel can be any large container designed to collect rain water. Typically, rain barrels are placed at the bottom of downspouts in order to collect rain as it runs off of a roof. For every inch of rain that falls on 1,000 square feet of roof, about 600 […]
Dead man’s fingers is the name of a mushroom-like fungal growth that can be found at the base of dead or dying trees and shrubs, as well as wood objects. Learn about this distinctive fungus in this factsheet.
Cicada killer wasps are common in the southern part of Wisconsin. These non-aggressive wasps feed on cicadas. Learn more in this factsheet.
