June 9, 2026
A continuous selection from one conversation.
There's something eating my squash leaves at night. How do I know what it is before I lose the plant
I need to know what you're seeing when you check them in the morning — holes, missing edges, or something else?
Holes
Holes through the leaf or holes between the veins — skeletonized?
Between viens
That's skeletonizing — slugs or snails. They rasp the soft tissue between the veins at night and hide by morning. Check the soil surface around the base and under any mulch or debris near the plants. If you find them, you'll know for certain.
What does rasp mean
Rasping is how they eat — a slug or snail has a rough tongue that scrapes off the leaf surface layer by layer. It leaves the veins behind because they're tougher. That's why the damage looks like lace instead of bite marks.
Ahhh
That sound is the one that sticks. Now you'll recognize it every time you see that pattern. Check the base of the squash tonight after dark with a light. That's when you'll catch them.