Nearly Perfect Circle Holes in Leaves of Plants
My lilac is having problems. There are holes along the edges of the leaves that look like someone went through with a hole punch, they're all nearly perfect. I didn't see any little critters.
A helpful native pollinator is the culprit. Leaf cutter bees, essential for pollination of some of our native plants, remove pieces of the leaf to use in creating their nest. You most often see their damage on roses, occasionally on lilacs, green ash and Virginia creeper. The bees live in rotted wood and center of pithy plants like roses. Since they restrict their nesting to dead wood and just the pith of the roses they do not harm the health and vigor of our plants. So relax and enjoy the creative artwork.
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