Marianne's Response

Sage munching culprit

Every year my mother and I start a garden about this time. We are very limited in our space so it’s normally pretty low scale. About a week ago we picked up some herb plants and planted them in the usual spot. They were growing so pretty. Everything was just florishing like it normally does. We live in the high desert which isn’t the best environment for pests so we never had an issue. However, this morning we awoke to our beautiful garden sage almost completely devoured. My sister believes it to be the work of caterpillars and that not much can be done. Upon further research I found that caterpillars don’t like sage. Do you have any idea as to our culprit and what to do to thwart their next raid?

Posted by Jamie Crow on May 11, 2020

Marianne's Response

I notice the  ribs are left and the tender part of the leaf is eaten. This is indeed the sign of a caterpillar larvae so I would look in the soil near the plant and around the rim of the pot for the culprit.    The good news is the sage should grow back. You may want to set a trap of damp newspaper in the pot and see what insect tries to hide under the newspaper after a couple of days. A flashlight at night may also help you to find the enemy. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti

    Search the Ask the Gardening Expert library

    Looking for a quick resolution to your problem? Marianne has answered thousands of gardening questions. One may be similar to yours. Try searching our library to get the answer you need — fast!

    My Topics

    View questions you submitted to Marianne in the past

    VIEW MY QUESTIONS