Common bagworms (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis, family Psychidae) are native moth caterpillars that live in silk bags festooned with plant debris. It’s the perfect camouflage allowing them to remain undetected until revealed by their voracious appetites.

A site visit last week revealed a heavy infestation of Elm Leaf Beetle on ‘Patriot’ elm street trees in downtown Cincinnati. It was a surprise. This non-native beetle was once considered a major urban forest pest in Ohio as well as across most of the U.S. and eastern Canada. However, for unknown reasons, the beetles seemed to vanish from much of the U.S. in the early 1990s.

As I was mowing the lawn, I noticed that there seemed to be an inordinate number of leaves on the ground near my wife’s favorite magnolia.  Immediately, my red flag warnings went off and I was on the hunt for what had caused the leaves to turn yellow, then brown and then fall off.  This tree is Magnolia X brooklynensis 'Yellow Bird' with elliptical leaves 4-8 inches long and 4-6 inches wide.

 

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I first encountered these brightly colored flea beetles in an eastern Cincinnati landscape in mid-October 2011. The beetles were doing so much damage the only way I could identify the defoliated plants was through a plant tag; it was Hylotelephium telephium ‘Autumn Joy’ (family Crassulaceae). There was little joy in the appearance of the landscape planting.

BYGL readers may recall that I’ve been posting Alerts about the Scarlet Oak Sawfly (Caliroa quercuscoccineae (Dyar)) for years. Despite this sawfly's common name, the larvae may be found feeding on a wide range of oaks belonging to both the white and red oak groups.

Earlier today, September 2, 2021, the Ohio Department of Agriculture announced a population of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) has been found on the east side of Cleveland. The information in this alert is from the announcement that ODA distributed today.

 

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) was notified of the initial discovery by a tree care professional on August 26, 2021.

 

ODA Plant...

On August 19, 2021, WSDA announced during an AGH webinar that the second AGH nest discovered in the U.S. was found in the base of a dead alder tree in a rural area in Whatcom County just east of Blaine, WA. The site was about one-quarter mile from the Canadian border. Last week, the WSDA announced that the nest had been destroyed.

OSU Extension county offices across the state are receiving e-mails and phone calls about Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, family Noctuidae) causing substantial injury to turfgrass. Thus far, it appears that fall armyworm is the dominant culprit rather than Yellowstriped Armyworm (S. ornithogalli) and Common Armyworm (Mythimna convecta).

Jumping spiders get their name from their ability to leap long distances with a single bound. These small spiders use their jumping talent to travel great distances, evade enemies, and pounce on prey which is often much larger than these diminutive spiders. They are the terriers of the spider world.

There are over 600 species of spiders found in Ohio and most feed almost exclusively on insects. The spiders that are currently dominating (draping over?) landscapes are the Sheetweb Weavers (family Linyphiidae) and Funnel Weavers (family Agelenidae)