Curious about the insects in your garden? Join us to discover some of the common insects you’re likely to encounter while gardening. As organic gardeners, it’s essential to identify and understand their life cycles so we can make informed decisions about whether action is necessary. We’ll explore both common beneficial and nuisance insects, helping you navigate the active and dynamic season ahead in our Tucson gardens. Insects being discussed:
- Green lacewing
- Assassin bugs
- Praying mantis
- Lady beetles
- Larvae of butterflies and moths
- Leaf footed bugs
- Aphids and other soft-bodied pests
- Grubs – really good guys
- The good termites
Deborah North is a native of Arizona. She started gardening in the ‘80’s while living and working in Silicon Valley. Unfortunately, this did not prepare her for gardening in Tucson. Returning to Arizona in late 2003 she rapidly learned that to enjoy gardening in Tucson required significant re-training. She entered the Master Gardener program through the University of Arizona in 2004 and has never looked back! She is a subject matter expert in citrus, deciduous fruit trees and IPM (Integrated Pest Management) but loves to speak about any gardening topic. One of her joys of being a master gardener is having the opportunity to help extend the science of the university with the community.
