I've had something putting holes in my butterfly bush too. I've had earwig damage in the past so that is what I suspected so I went out tonight with a flashlight and sure enough I saw some on it. Not a lot but some. I just knocked them off into a paper cup of water with soap suds in it. I also found them on Basil, Collard Greens, Bok Choy. I am wondering what eats earwigs? I did see a lot of spiders out there. It's pretty active at night.

There was one year that earwigs were nibbling my Buddleia too. It was only one year though for some reason, the butterfly bushes haven't been bothered any other year. Supposedly you can make an easy earwig traps using a paper towel roll or rolled up newspaper? Can't remember the exact details however. Perhaps you can do a search on GW.

Yes, I'm going to try that. It's just damp newspapers rolled up and left about the garden near where you find them. Then you collect them in the morning and they should be in there and you throw them away.

Supposedly they enjoy part shade and lots of mulch, which I have a lot of. Sunny exposed gardens have fewer earwigs. Your garden seems a bit like mine in that regard, Terrene, part sun and mulched. I've had a couple of years with a ton of earwigs eating everything. This year is not as bad for some reason.

I did look them up last night and evidently mid June is when you would expect to first start seeing them. They are a little early like everything else this year.