Q: I found these tiny red bugs on the undersides of the leaves of my cup plant. What should I do?
A. Those are red aphids, and you probably don’t have to do anything.
For readers who’ve never had the pleasure, cup plant is a tall perennial with big yellow flowers. It’s a native species that attracts both birds and butterflies. The leaves form a small cup where they attach to the stem, and birds will use the cup as a water source when it fills with rainwater. Birds will also eat cup plants’ seeds.
Cup plants can provide food for birds in another way, too. The plant often attracts aphids, and the aphids can be an important food source for birds and for beneficial wasps. Hummingbirds feed red aphids to their babies.
The aphids are generally found on the undersides of leaves, often in large numbers. They feed on the cup plant by using their sucking mouthparts to extract juice from the plant’s leaves, but typically they don’t do serious harm to the plant.
Depending on how you feel about them, the aphids are either fascinating or disgusting — or both, as in my case. Something about the way they flick their bodies in unison when you look at the leaf is kind of cool and revolting at the same time. If you really can’t stand them, they are relatively easy to remove. You can dislodge them with a spray of water. There is no need to use soap or other chemicals.
One last note about cup plants: They are pretty, vigorous, and provide food and water for birds and pollinators. But they can also spread aggressively, especially in rich soil. Cup plant is best in a spot where you don’t mind that behavior or where you can stay on top of pulling up unwanted seedlings. It is somewhat less aggressive in clay or rocky soil.
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