Worst Pest

The three-lined potato beetle seeks out young ground cherry plants and lays eggs, conveniently orange for easy identification and eradication. Inspect at least daily, kill the adults on sight and scrape off any eggs. The larvae are easily found, surrounded by devastated leaves and covered by their own orange-brown frass, or excrement.

Why? Like their fellow nightshade-family plants and many others, ground cherries concentrate toxic alkaloids in their leaves and stems to discourage plant-eating enemies. These beetles have adapted not only to tolerate the toxins themselves but to use their own toxin-laden frass to ward off their own predators, turning the plant's defenses against it. Isn't nature amazing? Now we angry gardeners must do the job ourselves, and diligently—these grubs can strip a whole plant in a day.

Luckily, they move on after a while and won't be nearly as numerous when the plants are full-grown. Oops, I just read that there is typically a second generation in August. Haven't noticed that around here, though.