Damage by non-native Mimosa Webworms (Homadaula anisocentra, family Galacticidae) was a topic of discussion during this week's BYGLive! Zoom Inservice. Despite their common name, mimosa webworms are most often found in Ohio on honeylocusts (Gleditsia triacanthos).

Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata) is an annual vine that climbs by axillary tendrils. It warmer climates it can become somewhat woody and be perennial-like in its habit, typically dying back to the ground each winter. In Ohio, it will die-back to the ground in the fall, but will need to be replaced with a new plant in the spring. It is native to the Southeastern U.S. and is easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade.

I have recently come to enjoy the cornelian cherry dogwood (Cornus mas). It was its early spring blooming yellow flowers that drew me to this plant, but I have to say, the fruit and the bark are added features that keep me coming back for more. I am lucky enough to have a hedge row of this plant near my office, so not a day goes by that I don't get to enjoy these plants. I wanted to share some photos of its fruit, both in the canopy and some that have fallen off. The squirrels are having a great time gorging themselves on the ripening fruit, at least here at the Toledo Botanical Garden. 

When you can take pictures of a brand new sprayer before any chemicals have been used, you can get really close with no danger. All the following spray pictures were just water.

This time of the year, there is a flurry of gardening activity, especially in those gardens producing fruits and vegetables. The warm season crops continue to produce, while gardeners begin planning for the fall garden, or the quick to mature warm season crops or the traditional cool season crops.

Tuned in for this Friday's Escape to the Forest - The Great Lakes Early Detection Network: Helping Land Managers Track Invasive Species. 

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is asking Ohioans to send in unsolicited seeds. Earlier today the ODA distributed the release that is included in this BYGL Alert.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has been notified that several Ohio residents have received unsolicited packages in the mail containing seeds that appear to have originated from China. The types of seeds in the packages are currently unknown and may contain invasive plant species. Similar seed packets have been received recently in several other locations across the United States.

Walnut moth caterpillars feed in groups, or "colonies," of 10-30 individuals throughout their development which is why their defoliation is often focused on a single branch or a group of adjoining branches. However, it's also why multiple colonies can quickly defoliate small trees.

Yellownecked caterpillars feed in groups, sometimes called "colonies," numbering 10 – 30 individuals throughout their development. The colonies tend to consume leaves one branch at a time unless populations are high and multiple colonies are feeding on many branches.