Japanese Beetles

We didn't used to have these - they arrived in our yard about three years ago and they are an absolute menace. As the name implies, they are not native, but were introduced via New Jersey in 1915 and have since become widespread. They have no natural predators and they swarm, skeletonizing the leaves of whatever unfortunate plant has attracted them. In my vegetable garden they are particularly fond ot the beans, elsewhere they have destoyed the top leaves on our mountain ash - they gave it such a hard time last year that it didn't flower this year and so we have no berries for the birds. In the photo they are munching on a blackberry leaf, or at least one of them is, the other two seem distracted.

Japanese beetles are almost impossible to get rid of, so we'll just have to learn to live with them. Grrrr. 

At least they are pretty.

NW Wisconsin