Overwintered eastern tent caterpillar (ETC) (Malacosoma americanum) moth eggs are hatching in southwest Ohio; a sure sign that spring has sprung. As their common name implies, the caterpillars are accomplished tent-makers displaying their silk handiwork in branch forks.

Dalton Westerbeck with Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum e-mailed me Wednesday to report that soil "mining bees" are waking from their winter naps. Dalton is an ISA Certified Arborist and an Ohio State Beekeepers Association, Master Beekeeper. He is locating and marking all of the mining bee "colonies" in the Grove so he can document their population densities and seasonal development.

Purple deadnettle is beginning to show up in landscapes now that spring has arrived and the temperature is getting warmer. A winter annual, purple deadnettle is germinating now from the seeds they produced last year.

I received an e-mail message over the weekend from a homeowner asking what kind of beetles could be emerging from firewood stored in an unheated garage. I replied there were two strong candidates: painted hickory borers and banded ash borers. In response, the homeowner sent some very clear pictures yesterday: they were painted hickory borers.

Old man winter plays a cruel joke on Northeast Ohio with 3-5 inches of snow. This was just in time for April Fool’s day, which just happens to coincide with the Cleveland Indians Home Opener this year.

As temperatures warm, people are outside enjoying the almost, spring-like weather. There are still a few waiting for even warmer temperatures to arrive and stick around for more than a day - you know who you are. As everyone migrates outdoors as temperatures rise, the chances of an insect encounter will be pretty high. At the first encounter, many people may have an urge to "eliminate" the six legged species.

Earlier this month, Joe Boggs authored a BYGL Alert entitled, Ash Breakage: the Hazard Continues (March 19, 2019). To follow-up with this topic, we wanted to alert you to an upcoming webinar from EAB University called Dead Ash Dangers and Considerations for Risk and Removal.

Gardeners are always looking for signs of spring. Although the calendar tells us it is officially spring, Mother-Nature can sometimes send mixed messages.

Poison hemlock is a non-native biennial weed that spends its first year as a low-growing basal rosette; the stage that is currently very apparent. During its second year, plants produce erect, towering stalks and multi-branched stems topped with umbrella-like flowers. Mature plants can measure 6-10' tall and are prolific seed producers.

White Pine Weevil females spend the winter out of sight cooling their six heels in the duff beneath their pine or spruce targets. As temperatures warm in the spring, they climb their hosts to feed and lay eggs in the terminals. Sap oozing from small holes in the terminals is a calling card of this weevil.