Lilacs, the fragrance, the beauty, the grace, the colors. Lilacs can come in all shapes, sizes ans colors. From pale purple to deep purple and white; whether a small, low shrub, a mature shrub to a upright, standard tree form, there is one to fit most landscapes. But even when they can't be seen, the fragrance attracts not only pollinators but people as well.

Here in Northeast Ohio, it has been an incredible year for observing bloom of ornamental flowering trees.  I propose that both the marvelous color and length of bloom is due to the bursts of very warm temperatures (70’s), followed by days of cooler temperatures (50’s), with a day or two of rain mixed in to keep things fresh!  The warm temperatures caused the buds to push fast into full bloom; however, then the cool temps and the rains move in preserving not only the colors, but also prolonging the length of bloom appeal and persistence on the plants.

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  Sassafras was the bygl-alert Tree of the Week last July 29, but a reprise is in order. First of all, the emerging leaves and flowers have blown me away anew this Spring. Secondly, such a great horticulturist as Deb Knapke e-mailed me that “This is the first time I have seen the flowers of sassafras; loved it!” in response to the use of a sassafras flower picture in one of my Springtime bygl-alerts this year. 

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As I was driving along the other day, it was raining and I was watching the road and the plants around me of course, when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of purple.  Intrigued, I just had to investigate and find out what the heck was going on with the purple flash!

  Recently OSU Extensioneers Tim Malinich and Jim Chatfield met with horticulturists at a property in northern Ohio to look at a number of declining spruce trees. Most of the spruces on the property appeared healthy but a number had needle browning and and branch dieback, ranging from minor to severe.

  Some of the needle discoloration ascended the tree in somewhat of a spiral pattern, sometimes it was more complete, with some trees if not dead or dying, at the least becoming aesthetic liabilities. There was no evidence on the spruces at this property of any significant infectious...

In Northeast Ohio, the strobili, especially the female ones on the Picea abies or Norway Spruce, are spectacular.  These strobili or cones are located out on the very tips of main branches and because they are small right now, they’re sticking straight up.  The color of these immature female strobili ranges from a soft rose-pink to a deep, translucent burgundy. 

I noticed a large number of green leaves littering the ground beneath a shade-tree sized sugar maple today in southwest Ohio; not a surprise given the recent high winds and heavy rains. However, a closer look revealed the shed leaves all had very short petioles. The other part of the broken petioles remained attached to the tree and looked like toothpicks. This is the "calling card" of the Maple Petiole Borer (Caulocampus acericaulis).

I came across an impressive stand of Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans) earlier this week that was heavily infested with Meadow Spittlebug (Philaenus spumarius). Flower stalks of this biennial weed are currently bolting from the rosette stage. Virtually every thistle stem appeared to be festooned with the tell-tale frothy, spittle-like masses characteristic of this and other spittlebugs. The frothy masses are produced by spittlebug nymphs (family Aphrophoridae); adults of these insects are called "froghoppers."

Eastern tent caterpillar (ETC) (Malacosoma americanum) silk nests are now large enough and the accompanying defoliation evident enough to be very noticeable in Ohio. The nests are located in branch forks and they reveal that population densities and caterpillar developmental rates vary widely across the state. I've driven long stretches recently without seeing a single nest on trees flanking the highway only to round a curve or top a hill to arrive in an ETC wonderland.

  The Latin binomial for peaches is Prunus persica, which is a bit misleading. The genus name is fine – Prunus, a genus in the rose family (Rosaceae) that includes peaches and nectarines, plums, cherries, almonds, and apricots. This reference to Persia (present day Iraq) is a misnomer, since peaches originate from China, which today by far out produces all other countries in edible peach production.  Peaches eventually made it to Persia, then to Europe, then from Spanish explorers to the New World, where they were planted into orchards in Georgia, the Peach State by the...