I was amazed yesterday at the prolific handiwork of Burrowing Crayfish in the Voice of America (VOA) MetroPark in Butler County located in southwest Ohio. Hundreds of their unusual looking mud structures were rising from the soil in turfgrass and naturalized areas.

If you've traveled Ohio's southern interstates lately, particularly on I-71 between Columbus and Cincinnati, you may have hummed a Hendrix tune or felt like riders of the purple sage as you drove past farm fields bathed in a deep purple hue.

Each month, the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) updates and distributes an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) Detection Map. While EAB is "old news" to many in the buckeye state, it is interesting to continue to watch the progression of this invasive species in North America. In February 2003, EAB was confirmed for the first time in Ohio in Lucas County in NW Ohio, approximately seven months after the initial detection and identification in Michigan the summer before. Fast forward 14+ years later...

Off-colored boxwood leaves may not be symptoms of winter injury. Boxwood leafminer damage is widespread, but the non-native culprit often flies below the radar.

While on a walk, "Mew Mew" found a mysterious flower in the yard. These are not dandelions. This is coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara.

This is the 21st year for the OSU Extension, Diagnostic Walk-Abouts in Southwest Ohio! Opening day for the series is April 10 at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum.

Our winter temperature roller-coaster ride has yielded some surprising results in southwest Ohio. This unscientific report presents a few observations.

You can have a positive impact on the plight of our pollinators thanks to "Plants Bees Like Best: Bee-Friendly Trees and Shrubs."

Longhorned beetles emerge from firewood to the surprise and consternation of homeowners.

Nancy Taylor recently found a great resource regarding ticks called the Laboratory of Medical Zoology (LMZ).  LMZ is an academic research lab at the University of Massachusetts with a focus on infectious diseases or more specific "zoonosis".  Their website describes zoonosis as "diseases with transmission cycles that involve other animal species."  One of the great things about this resource is that they test ticks for diseases.  The standard test of deer ticks is $50.00 and includes testing for Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis.  In addition you can search their database and find...