Spotted is native to Southeast Asia. It was first found in North America in eastern Pennsylvania in the fall of 2014. Reports at the time kept noting that Tree of Heaven is the primary host. Frankly, I thought: "Who cares?"

Perennial plants (and others) are showing damage caused by four-lined plant bug (Poecilocapus lineatus) with some plants exhibiting heavy damage.  For instance, my oregano is totally obliterated.  I usually say no worries to this pest as it is a one and done insect; it has one life cycle in the early part of spring.  The damage is caused early enough in the season that I don't usually worry about taking action with pesticides.  However, this year is anything but normal and I am altering my normal approach a bit.

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Wild parsnip plants are rising towards their full height and their yellow blooms are beginning to open in southern Ohio. Landscape managers and gardeners should exercise extreme caution around this non-native invasive plant.

Poison hemlock is one of the most lethal plants found in North America. This biennial weed is now in full flower throughout much of Ohio. So, the clock is ticking on preventing seed production by this non-native invasive plant.

Julie Crook and I visited a magnolia in her landscape on Tuesday that is infested with Magnolia Scale. We had intended to evaluate a soft scale control method using dish scrubbers to physically remove the scales. I learned about this scale suppression technique from Dan Potter (University of Kentucky Entomology).

I'm continuing to get reports of huge numbers of tiny, fast-moving bright red mites scurrying around on sunny surfaces such as on picnic tables, patios, sidewalks, concrete retaining walls, and on the outside walls of homes and buildings. These nuisance mites are sometimes called "concrete mites" owing to locations where they tend to congregate

Calico scale eggs located beneath helmet-shaped females are hatching in southwest Ohio and the 1st instar nymphs (crawlers) are on the move. Unlike armored scales, all nymphal stages of this soft scale are mobile, so nymphs can be called "crawlers" throughout their development

Overwintered Common Bagworm eggs are hatching in southwest Ohio. The tiny 1st instar bags are constructed with pieces of tan to reddish-brown sawdust-like frass (excrement) stuck to the outside of silk and look like "dunce caps."

A day in the garden and landscape. White flowers to identify, some known, some newly known. The more you look, the more you find, the more you learn.