I love this time of year in Northeast Ohio because it is apple picking time!  Just a little over a week ago, the customer favorite ‘Honeycrisp’ apples were being picked and sorted.  Due to the May 25th & 27th freeze/frost events creating light to non-existent crops, the ‘Gala’, ‘Jonamac’, ‘Holiday’ and ‘Macintosh’ apples were quickly picked in the previous three weeks.  I’m looking forward to tasting the purplish-burgundy colored ‘Macoun’ apples with their brilliant white flesh and unique flavor.

 

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Last year, on October 1st, I posted a BYGL Alert about small, fuzzy, reddish-brown to deep-red galls appearing on oaks in northern Ohio. The sheer number of the fuzzy oak leaf galls last year coupled with their alien appearance drew the attention of landowners as well as the news media once the galls started detaching from the oak leaves to rain down on sidewalks, decks, and parked cars.

Check out the latest edition of the OSU's Turfgrass Team's Turfgrass Times. Kudos to Dr. Ed Nangle and Dr. Dave Gardner on this week's video as this year winds down. Tune in to learn more about a weed to be on the look out for - Virginia buttonweed, and management of wild voilets and ground ivy.

With the recent discovery of Spotted Lanternfly in Cleveland, Ohio, Educators are trying to get the word out to ALL. Scouting is Key!

I’ve posted several BYGL Alerts over the years about the so-called Lazarus Lizards (Podarcis muralis, family Lacertidae). However, I’m resurrecting these fascinating reptiles based on spotting a few skittering around on a rock retaining wall near my home in Butler County, just north of Cincinnati.

Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wert County) has been sharing images of Black Blister Beetles (Epicauta pennsylvanica) for the past few weeks on our Tuesday morning BYGL Zoom Inservice. Over the weekend, I received two e-mail messages from homeowners describing blister beetles swarming onto flowering perennials and vegetable garden plants, most notably tomatoes.

The uniquely entertaining Beech Blight Aphids (Grylloprociphilus imbricator) are taking the stage in Ohio. I’ve received several e-mail messages from across the state about the aphids and Brian Heinz (Horticulture Manager, Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum) alerted me to chorus lines shaking their derrieres on their namesake host in southwest Ohio

The following is an update on the bird illness that has been impacting certain species of songbirds across Ohio.

Spotted Lanternfly Lycorma delicatula infestation have been confirmed in 3 different locations in Ohio. Ohio Department of Agriculture confirmed an active infestation in Mingo Junction in southeast Ohio and two separate infestations in Cuyahoga County. What can you do? SCOUT!