Aquilegia downy mildew on flowers


Aquilegia Downy Mildewed Flowers
Look out for browny spots and shrivelling of petals.
I have noticed these sorts of symptoms after stormy weather in June. I tended to put it down to the rain and wind 'blasting' the delicate blooms, but now I think that I may well have seen downy mildew symptoms 1 or 2 years previous to 2014 when I first discovered DM in my aquilegias.
Downy mildew is more closely related to blight than to other types of fungus. These flowers seem to say 'blighted' to me.
Note, I never sent any flowers to RHS Menbers' Advisory Service to confirm that these symptoms are of downy mildew. It is my educated guess.
Noticing these 'blasted' or 'blighted' flowers may be the first indication of an infection on a plant. So if you see anything like these signs, check the leaves of the plant as well as those close by (especially upwind).
The flower stems may be distorted. These kinks are due either due to the disease and / or to resulting mollusc grazing damage (sometimes the stem is grazed almost through).

Touchwood Aquilegias: FLOWERS affected by DOWNY MILDEW OF AQUILEGIAS