Jumping Oak Galls

Jumping oak galls are caused by a very tiny, native, stingless wasp (Neuroterus sp.) which lays eggs in leaf buds. As the leaf develops, pinhead-size galls, also referred to as abnormal plant growths, form on the undersides of the leaves. Each round, button-like gall contains one wasp larva.
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Authors
Amy Stone
Joe Boggs

Spongy Moth Update

Spongy moth (Lymantria dispar), formally known as the gypsy moth, is still in its feeding frenzy stage in NW Ohio. Caterpillars can very evident when populations increase, and the leaves and needles of host plants disappear as the hungry caterpillars cause defoliation.
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Authors
Amy Stone

Yucky Yucca

I've long admired yucca (Yucca spp., family Asparagaceae). It was one of the most common flowering plants in farmhouse landscapes where I grew up in West Virginia. Indeed, it was common for yuccas to mark the site of long-abandoned homesteads reduced to nothing more than foundation stones.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Are we Poised for the Return of “Cheetos Dust?” boggs.47@osu.edu Tue, 06/04/2024 - 16:41
Heavy fruit infections by the Cedar-Quince Rust fungus (Gymnosporangium clavipes) are occurring on Callery pears (Pyrus calleryana, family Rosaceae) in southwest Ohio. The “rust” in the common name refers to the rust-colored spores.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Will Fall Webworm Make a Comeback in Ohio? boggs.47@osu.edu Fri, 05/31/2024 - 15:08
Yesterday, I came across a small Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea, family Erebidae) nest on a Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) in southwest Ohio. The webworms were the black-headed biotype, but more on that later.
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Authors
Joe Boggs