What’s Happening Here?
This challenge comes directly from my landscape this week. I noticed this mass of nymphs on the top of an asclepias when enjoying an evening stroll through the gardens the other day.
I suppose that just simplified the challenge a bit. I’m definitely not an entomologist, but I thought I knew my insects fairly well; however, I have to admit that my first guess was wrong. Not that far off, but an incorrect answer is an incorrect answer, nonetheless. I can own that. Please think carefully before locking in your final answer or you could find yourself in Camp Erroneous sitting here with me.
It’s time for me to ask, ‘What’s happening here?’ Take a few minutes to lock in your answer and I’ll let you know what insect this actually is and show you how close my original guess was.
First-ever Lace-leaf Heuchera
Thousands of industry professionals had the chance to witness the world’s first ever lace-leaf heuchera at Cultivate’26.
Chuck Pavlich, Director of New Product Development at Terra Nova Nurseries, showcasing the new Fyre Winge series of heuchera in the New Varieties Showcase at Cultivate'26.
Terra Nova Nurseries debuted their exciting new Fyre Wing series at Cultivate almost two weeks ago. The lace-leaf foliage is considered a groundbreaking new morphology for the genus. The series draws its inspiration from dragon mythology. According to dragon traditions and lore, dragons are notorious for hoarding treasures, specifically gold and gems, which form the shells of their eggs. Fear not my medieval friends, Terrra Nova has no plans of hoarding these gems.
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Heuchera Fyre Wings Jet
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Heuchera Fyre Wings Jadeite
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The varieties of the Fyre Wing series are also referred to as “The Seven of the Lace Crown,” which refers to the precious gemstone-colored cultivars named: Amber, Heliodor, Hematite, Jadeite, Jet, Rhodonite and Spinel. Hardy to Zone 4. Each heuchera cultivar expresses a unique foliage coloration. I can’t wait to get my hands on a few of these.
Follow
Heuchera Fyre Wing series for each variety’s description and learn more about the evolution of these exciting new cultivars.
Colorado Destination Days
My friends at the Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture at Colorado State University (CSU) are cordially inviting you to attend Colorado Destination Days from August 3 through August 6, 2026.
Monday, August 3, 2026 4 PM to 7 PM
Colorado Destination Days Welcome Reception
The event kicks off with a welcome reception at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Guests will not only enjoy a lovely reception, but they’re also invited to stroll through the entire gardens as the sun sets behind the Rocky Mountains. Please
register for this FREE Welcome Reception.
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 9 AM to 1 PM
CSU Flower Trial Garden Industry Evaluation Day
The day begins at the beautiful Colorado State University Trial Gardens. Attendees can view hundreds of annual and perennial varieties being tested in the ground and container environments at the 3 acre public trial gardens. There are about 100 new perennial varieties planted in 2026 alone. Participants will also have the opportunity to provide feedback and evaluations on the varieties in the trials. How cool is that? Please register
HERE to attend—lunch is provided.
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 1 PM to 4 PM
Gulley Greenhouse and Garden Center
The afternoon features one of the Western region’s largest young plants and finished growers. Attendees will get behind-the-scenes tours of their incredible facilities and will enjoy ‘born-in-Colorado’ refreshments. Please
register for the afternoon tours at Gulley Greenhouse and Garden Center.
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 10 AM to 2 PM
Blooma Farms/Rocky Mountain Liners
Wednesday kicks off with an opportunity to acquaint yourself with Blooma Farms (wholesale nursery of annuals, perennials and vegetables) and Rocky Mountain Liners (young plant producer). They will be showcasing top-selling favorites and exciting new introductions from several breeders. Lunch and refreshments will be included. Please
register to attend.
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 3 PM to 6 PM
Heritage Young Plants/Dutch Heritage Gardens at Calabrese Greenhouse
The afternoon continues at Heritage Young Plants where attendees will have the opportunity to view new plant introductions for 2027 and meet industry experts and the Heritage Young Plants team. Please
RSVP to attend.
Thursday, August 6, 2026 9 AM to 12 PM
Denver Botanic Gardens – Chatfield Farms
The final day of Colorado Destination Days concludes at Chatfield Farms. The approximately 700 acre site serves as a functional farm, an oasis of ornamental gardens and a refuge for wildlife and pollinators in its unmanaged natural spaces. Come enjoy the Plant Select Garden, Butterfly House, Heirloom Gardens, Lavender Fields and more.
Please
register so they can plan for your arrival.
Please visit
Colorado Destination Days for detailed event information, addresses, contact information and all of the registration links on one webpage.
Summerific Week
It’s almost time to celebrate one of my favorite perennials—hardy hibiscus.
Summerific Week is August 2, 2026 to August 8, 2026. Summerific Week is a fun, coordinated social media event designed to spotlight these incredible perennials while inspiring gardeners to keep planting, sharing and enjoying their landscapes through the hottest days of summer.
Everyone is encouraged to share photos, videos and stories featuring Summerific Hibiscus on social media throughout the first full week of August. How big is this promotion? There were over 10 million social media impressions in 2025. Did I mention prizes will be awarded for some of the most creative and engaging posts?
I’ll start with a little pre-Summerific Week fun and creativity. Hibisca Crimson Vein is here to declare that #SummerificWeek will begin the first week of August and she’s challenging you to think outside the pot and post your most artistic, unique content featuring Summerific hibiscus! #SummerificWeek
Tips for a Successful Summerific Week
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Educate yourself and your staff on hardy hibiscus. This improves your ability to answer customer questions and will help you to create more informative social media content. SummerificWeek.com has tons of information—check it out.
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Be creative with posts. There’s so much more to hardy hibiscus than stunning close ups. Follow #SummerificWeek on Instagram to see what others are posting and to get inspired.
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Post more than once. Summerific Week is a marketing event. To maximize engagement, post multiple times leading up to Summerific Week and continue posting throughout the week. Consistent posting builds awareness and keeps your audience engaged.
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Tag local. Be sure to include where you’re located and how customers can buy your plants. Location tags and region specific hashtags help connect your content with local gardeners.
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Retail ’em up front. When blooming, hardy hibiscus are showstoppers and the ultimate impulse purchase. Place them front and center for everyone to see (and purchase).
The Answer Is…
I shared the image on the left at the top of the newsletter and asked if you knew what type of nymphs these were conglomerating on top of my asclepias. I’ve included a close-up on the right for you to look at in case you needed a little more help and time. Above I admitted that I incorrectly guessed what insects these were at first. Let me show what I thought this mass of insect nymphs were.
The image above contains mostly nymphs and a couple adult box elder bugs (Boisea trivittata). I hope you can see the similarities between the nymphs above and below. Now that you know where I went wrong, Let’s find out if you can correctly identify these nymphs?
You would be correct and successfully one upped me if you answered milkweed bug. There are two types of milkweed bugs, and I was lucky enough to observe both of them in my gardens.
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 Small Milkweed Bug
(Lygaeus kalmii)
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Large Milkweed Bug
(Oncopeltus fasciatus)
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I based my improper identification on the nymphs, but I think you can also see the similarities between box elder bug and milkweed bug adults. If I’m honest with you, based on my previous experiences I probably would’ve also incorrectly identified the adults if I saw them, too. Here’s an interesting article explaining the differences between box eder bugs and milkweed bugs: "
Milkweed Bug vs Box Elder Bug: Anatomy of a Comparative Study."
Both types of milkweed bugs have similar habitats and feeding preferences (asclepias seeds). Their feeding does not kill the plants but can reduce the number of viable seeds the plants produce for the availability of new plants in subsequent seasons.
I suspect the nymphs I observed were from the small milkweed bug, as an adult of this type was on the same plant. The large milkweed bug I observed was found on a nearby, but different asclepias plant.
Congrats if you correctly solved this week’s challenge.
My email is paul@pace49.com if you have any comments, article suggestions or if you'd just like to say hello.
Best regards,
Paul Pilon
Editor-at-Large—Perennial Pulse
National Sales Manager—Pace 49, Inc.
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