Just noticed this today on my Buddleja

My dwarf buddleia

 

Hi

I read in the RHS that a new greenfly that use to be a problem only in greenhouses (melon cotton aphid) has a likening for them.

 

I’ve just removed all the infected leaves off my four Buddleias. They now have a tall, statuesque look, worthy of a Chelsea show garden . Tomorrow they’ll probably be bin worthy!

 

Not sure if this will be legible will try again in daylight if it doesn't work @PlantmindedATTACH=full]238466[/ATTACH]

 

Text seems illegible. Will try again tomorrow.

 

On mine there are no aphids at all, but I notice that only the upperside of the leaves are affected.

 

Is this better?

 

I don't think it's any better but the photo looks very similar to your plant @cactus_girl

 

I can read that @BB3. Thanks. I did notice it last year and I'm sure my helianthus and one of my echinopsis are affected. But there are hardly any aphids in my garden at all this year. Lots of ladybirds - maybe they've eaten them all.

 

RHS info on pest. Aphids on buddleja / RHS

The RHS thought is "Although the leaf symptoms can look alarming, aphids are unlikely to have a significant impact on your buddleja’s health and vigour, so can often be tolerated."
I have noticed some damage on mine in recent years, not seen any aphids though and I just leave them alone apart from routine pruning.

 

I had a look at one of mine yesterday, after this thread and @The Buddleja Garden 's info. I'd also read the RHS info about that new aphid.
There is some damage on a couple of leaves, but there was just 2 or 3 little bog standard looking greenfly on it. It's one I'd had in a large pot for a long time, grown from a cutting, and I recently moved it into a large raised bed. The other ones which form my boundary 'hedge' seem fine. Like @NigelJ, I won't be doing anything to them though, other than removing the foliage affected when it's done.

 

The ones that are affected here don't have any aphids either as I believe they have been and gone but left their mark on the growth. The problem seems to be when the leaves are young and it just becomes more noticeable when they reach maturity.

 

Thanks very much @BB3 .

 

Thank you @NigelJ. I removed all the affected leaves from mine yesterday. They look a bit tall and airy now but quite a good look! I think you're right @Thevictorian about the young leaves being affected. I found what I thought were black fly on most of the emerging tips of my plants last week and blasted them off with the hose. They may have been the melon cotton aphid.

 

My buddleia has been under attack on two fronts this year. Complete infestation of blackfly sucking the life out of it, and mullein moth caterpillars chomping it to bits. Although I'd seen the odd ladybird about, I hadn't seen any eggs on the buddleia (annoyingly there were several batches on the plum tree at the end of the garden). Time was marching on and I couldn't wait any longer so I ordered some larvae. Of course, like the last time I ordered larvae, before they arrived, I spotted some roaming around I assume they'd hatched from somewhere concealed. Between the newly hatched ones and the ones I'd ordered, they all but cleared the blackfly in the space of a week. The leaves are horribly distorted and discoloured but I'll be chopping the worst of it back once everyone has vacated. Some of the larvae have moved on but I assume the ones still on the buddleia will pupate there so I'll wait until they've finished their ladybird business