It's the time of year when queen wasps and bumble bees have emerged from hibernation and are seeking cavity sites to build their nests. An increase in wasp calls this past week means its time for a BYGL ALERT about European Hornets near the home.

One of the most unusual galls found on oaks is the light green, ball-like Roly-Poly Galls produced under the direction of the gall wasp, Dryocosmus quercuspalustris (family Cynipidae). The specific epithet reveals one of the most common hosts of this gall-making wasp: Quercus palustris is the scientific name for Swamp Spanish Oak (a.k.a. Pin Oak) with palustris being Latin for “swampy” or “marshy.”

There are somewhere around 800 different types of arthropod galls found on oaks in the U.S. About 700 are produced by tiny wasps (order Hymenoptera) belonging to the family Cynipidae. Of those, only a handful represent a serious threat to the overall health of their oak hosts.

Kelleys Island, located in Erie County but surrounded by Lake Erie is a micro-climate. It also is home to number of Sugar Maples. It was an intriguing site for a sweet experiment.

While there is something to see year round in the world of Spotted Lanternfly or SLF, last week, a group of Extension professionals - Jim Jasinski with our IPM Program, Thomas deHaas in Erie County, Ann Chanon in Lorian County and Amy Stone in Lucas County spent sometime in the field together gathering footage and photographers for some educational resources that are seasonal specific. Once developed, these tools will help Ohioans, help us, look for SLF in the Buckeye State.

The Biggest Week in American Birding is May 6 - 15, 2022. The event is organized and hosted by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory and attracts birders from Ohio, across the United States, and many international visitors too! It takes place in northwest Ohio, or what is commonly called "The Warbler Capital of the World." 

The title of this Alert isn’t referring to last year’s shocking November surprise in that State Up North.  Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wert County) reported during yesterday’s BYGL Zoom Inservice that the handiwork of the Buckeye Petiole Borer is appearing on its namesake host in northwest Ohio. Likewise, I’ve been finding damage on wild understory buckeyes in the southwest part of the state.

BYGLers located throughout Ohio are reporting heavy maple seed (samara) production. This can temporarily cause maples to have stunted leaves or no leaves, particularly towards the top of seedy trees. Consequently, the thin canopies can cause landowners to ask, “what’s wrong with my maple trees?”

Bluebells and violets and twinleaf, OH MY! Learn more about these three spring wildflower species and catch a glimpse of the cutest little pair of trousers you've likely ever seen.

Here is your Growing Degree Day (GDD) summary ending April 30, 2022. While the calendar says it is spring, our actual outdoor experiences made have said otherwise. We have enjoyed some record breaking summer-like temperatures, but on the flip slide, snow flakes were still flying in April. Hopefully now that it is officially May, things will change - who are we kidding, it is Ohio. Stay tuned for these year-to-date summaries each month in 2022.