Beetle Mania
The Dotted Paropsine Leaf Beetle
Australian natives, these beetles feed on Eucalyptus leaves, sometimes causing so much defoliation, the trees die.
The Dotted Paropsine Leaf Beetle
Blue Moon typically boasts a stunning row of the coveted Silver Dollar Eucalyptus tree. It’s rounded, silver toned leaves add drama and whimsy to floral bouquets as they drape easily and dry in place for long term cascading arrangements. As usual, the trees are trimmed annually to keep up with their speedy growth rate, however, this year, much to our surprise, the trees didn’t bounce back…
After months of stunted growth and barren branches, we finally discovered the culprit - meet the Dotted Paropsine Leaf Beetle, joining us from the land down under. An Australian native, this beetle was first introduced to California in 2022 and has since, made it’s mark, deforesting large quantities of Eucalyptus trees that have become part of the California landscape. (source: UCSD Agriculture and Natural Resources).
Sparsely covered Silver Dollar Eucalyptus trees.
This infestation has raised an important question regarding the presence of the Eucalyptus trees at Blue Moon Ranch: As none native plants, is this nature’s cue that we shouldn’t encourage non-native species to grow? Eucalyptus trees make excellent tinder for wildfire, and being so close to building structures, this infestation could be a blessing in disguise. Trees native to Southern California, like the Coastal Live Oak, are much more fire resistant and are the more sustainable option.
At present, we’re in a “wait and see” phase: Waiting to see if the tree growth will outpace the beetle population or vice versa.
