Armed by Nature: Thorns, Spines, and Prickles

My fellow Plant Geeks would agree, what plants lack in biceps, they make up for in some pretty remarkable adaptations including the trait of being “armed”. In many species, these plant structures play the first line of defense against threats posed by insects, mammalian browsers, and hasty gardeners, such as myself, who have recklessly forgotten to don gloves. And I would bet my pawpaw harvest that you too have been victim to this passive confrontation. Of course, I am referring to those pointy protrusions that produce temporary, yet sometimes excruciating, pain (and likely a couple of 4-...
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Carrie Brown

Box Tree (Boxwood) Moth: New Detection, What to Look For, and Management

Box Tree Moth (BTM) is a non-native pest of boxwoods. It was first confirmed in Ohio by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) in late June. Yesterday, the ODA announced that a BTM sighting has been confirmed in Montgomery County (Dayton Area). Coupled with the earlier detection in southwest Ohio, the two BTM sites are the southernmost in North America.
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Joe Boggs
Ponds, Wildlife, Woodlands…Oh My! Join us at the Gwynne Conservation Area, September 19-21 brown.2766@osu.edu Thu, 09/14/2023 - 13:48
You are likely familiar with OSU’s Farm Science Review, a 3-day educational tradeshow that features the latest in agricultural production. But do you know that just across the road, accessible by wagons running throughout each day, is a literal playground for natural resource enthusiasts? Welcome to the Gwynne Conservation Area! The Gwynne is a 67-acre conservation area where conservation demos, talks, displays, and tours are held during Farm Science Review, September 19-21, in London, Ohio. Featuring a pond, wetland, tallgrass prairie, stream, pawpaw orchard, forage plots, and a wagon tour...
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Carrie Brown

Beech Blight Aphids Got Talent

The talented and uniquely entertaining Beech Blight Aphids (Grylloprociphilus imbricator) are taking the stage in Ohio. Some of the best line dancing can be seen in Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve in Wayne County, OH. Jim Chatfield (OSU Extension Emeritus) and I observed chorus lines of beech blight aphids shaking their derrieres on their namesake host in the Preserve last week.
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Joe Boggs

OGIA/OSU Greater Cincinnati BYGL! Diagnostic Walkabout Highlight: The Redbud Leaffolder

Participants in the OGIA/OSU Greater Cincinnati BYGL! Diagnostic Walkabout held this past Monday at the Boone County Arboretum observed the unusual damage caused by the Redbud Leaffolder (Fascista cercerisella, family Gelechiidae) on its namesake host (Cercis canadensis). Populations of this native moth appear to be sporadic and highly localized in Ohio this season.
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Joe Boggs

Ohio Diagnostic Workshop Highlight: White Masses on the Stems of Redbuds

During yesterday’s 83rd Ohio Diagnostic Workshop held in Secrest Arboretum, OSU CFAES, Wooster, OH., participants found snowy-white masses on the stems of redbuds (Cercis canadensis). The agglomerations could easily be mistaken for mealybugs, felt scales, or soft scales, particularly cottony scales.
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Joe Boggs