Did this forum move? Hoping someone may know what is up with these wild violets? One patch has leaves curling, drying and one patch is fine

@NorfolkLiz,

This is not something I've seen on violets around here (yet) and I hope I don't.

The type of damage looked like what is often seen with leafminers.

When I did a search for Violet leafminer I found this ID request:

https://bugguide.net/node/view...

Evidently the poster (in Maryland) is satisfied this is a leafminer but does not know the identity. Leafminer damage can often be indicated by tearing the damaged leaf. The upper and lower epidermis will be mostly intact, leaving two papery layers with nothing in between but leafminer droppings and maybe shed skins.

This may be a relatively new pest arrival. Your local Extension Service might be interested in receiving a sample. Include some old damaged leaves and some green ones with stippling and small tracks possibly indicating currently active miner larvae.

Without an exact ID it is hard to be sure how to treat this, but if this showed up in my garden I would try to take a pre-emptive strike with some imidacloprid granules.

Then after allowing a few days for uptake, I would remove and destroy all the plants in that area to try to help control spread.

Please keep us advised!

Pat

Could it possibly be burned from dog/animal urine?

Here are 2 images of the violet leafminer damage, from the BugGuide link. The irregularly-shaped feeding chambers are typical. They can vary considerably in the size, shape, and position on the leaf. Each one is created by larvae feeding inside the leaf, removing the green tissues, and leaving only the upper and lower papery epidermal layers that formerly encased the leaf.




https://bugguide.net/node/view...

I hope @NorfolkLiz has seen this!

Pat

It does look like leaf miner damage.

Darn, defiantly getting worse, spreading. I saw two different bugs, I can post one pic but the tiny orange one was moving so fast I could only get video that I can't figure out how to post! Best I could do was grab a screen shot, look for the tiny orange dot - it moves really fast!

I should rip it all up? It's spreading to Columbine!

Anyone have any experience with Captain Jacks?

The leaf miner in the columbine is not the same as the one in the viola but they are both sawflies. The bug you pictured is not the guilty party. The larvae of the sawfly is living between the leaf layers, eating between the leaf surfaces. If you are gentle, you can sometimes pull the layers apart and find the larvae.
Many of these pests are host specific so don't assume what is eating one thing is eating something else. I just rip off the infected leaves and throw them out. I did read this advice while googling about leaf miners. It tries to time the emerging generation with spraying. Otherwise, I don't think spraying the larvae while inside the leaf works well or at all. Some might recommend something systemic, but I never do that as it poisons the whole plant.

"To effectively rid plants of leaf miners with pesticide, in the early spring, place a few infected leaves in a ziplock bag and check the bag daily. When you see small black flies in the bag (which will be the leaf miner larva becoming adults), spray the plants daily for a week."

@LorettaNJ is correct. The leafminer in the Columbine is a different species than the one in your violets.

@NorfolkLiz - Yes, I would definitely remove all the violets in the area where you see those white leaf mines. Bag them such that nothing can escape and dispose of them. Repeat this anytime you see new leaf mines.

Spinosad in Captain Jack's might kill the orange insects but it won't control the leafminer. An insect has to be hit by the spinosad or eat it. The adult leafminer punctures the leaf to lay eggs inside, where they hatch. Then they feed inside the leaf. They do not contact or eat the spinosad, because it's on the outside leaf surface.

Good luck, I hope I never see this in Ohio!

Pat